Unknown Object
by Ominae
Summary: A look at Mark Sy's past as a Center and Spriggan agent. During a routine check into the networks of the Trident Corporation, ARCAM uncovers a plan by Trident scientists to create some prototype Armored Machine Suits.
1. Discovery

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige, Ryoji Minagawa and FROM Software. All other characters are under my jurisdiction

Summary:

A look at Mark Sy's past as a Center and Spriggan agent. During a routine "check" into the networks of the Trident Corporation, ARCAM uncovers a plan by Trident scientists to create some prototype Armored Machine Suits for the company's clandestine operatives in making them more powerful than before. Can they prevent Trident from mass-producing these suits before it's curtains for the ARCAM Corporation? A Spriggan story.

Disclaimer: This chapter's in homage to rx79guntank's Chapter 6 in "The Solitary Trooper" for he seemed to have some good paced action, though I tend to think I'm better than him as I'm more familiar with firearms and special operations forces, who knows. Maybe you readers should ask him. Hope to see more of your updates in the future, dude!

Chapter 1: Discovery

2000

Runway, Auckland Intertional Airport, Auckland, New Zealand

After the defeat of Umbrella's various paramilitary corps. back in New Zealand, ARCAM went back to rebuild most of its facilities in the forests of New Zealand as they were being mindful of their recent security lapses when the US Armored Corp. and the COSMOS unit infiltrated ARCAM's Japanese branch twice. With the board of directors at work in trying to figure out how their facilities can be better protected from attacks by national militaries or paramilitary forces, they have another thing coming up soon to prevent future attacks against them.

Mark "Hiryu" Sy, one of ARCAM's most prized Striker operatives, had checked a calendar prior to boarding an ARCAM Airlines Boeing 747 in Auckland International Airport back to Manila with some of the others in tow before they would head back to their respective countries.

"It's January 17 right now." murmured Mark, noting that he needed to get back home and do some homework with his brother as well. He was fortunate to be alone in Manila as his parents are foreign investors who had to work in San Francisco for Citibank.

"Good thing I'm luck ma and pa are in the US." grinned the Filipino operative, which was the last words he said before entering the 747 with the other Strikers with him.

* * *

2001

Corridor, Clovers Heavy Industries Hong Kong, 76th Floor, Central Plaza, Wan Chai, Hong Kong SAR, China

It was 9 in the evening as the Central Plaza building in Hong Kong's Central district was closed for the night. Most of Hong Kong have settled themselves into the confines of their homes, but others had other "important" things to do for the rest of the night.

"January 24, huh?" A security guard from the Trident Corporation's private security forces whistled to himself while he did a routine patrol on the Central Plaza's 76th floor, looking at a calendar tacked on the wall of the security room before he left his post to do his said job. Essentially, all the last three floors of the Central Plaza were purchased by Clovers Heavy Industries, providing a means for Trident to illegally conduct their operations in the former British crown colony, though the Campbell Company and Takasumi Zaibatsu have their branches in Hong Kong too. As a standing protocol, Trident's own security forces are responsible for maintaining security on establishments owned and controlled by the three corporate companies and not by private security firms in Hong Kong, mainly for operational and security reasons.

Stopping to make a routine check on the cubicles found in the floor's main area, he failed to notice someone trying to sneak up on him using the shadows as a means of protection. When the guard noticed, his first instinct was to grab his standard Sig Sauer P228 from his holster. He, instead, swiftly turned around and saw no one when he used his flashlight to check the area where he thought a perp might have been.

_"That's a relief." _The guard wiped some sweat off his brow, trickling down from the cover of his Trident Corporation olive green beret. Unfortunately for him, two strong hands tightly gripped his neck and hands from his rear, which made him drop his flashlight.

"Urk!" The guard tried to wrestle free from his captor's grip, trying to reach for his holstered Sig Sauer P228. His captor, being the first to think ahead of the situation, snapped his neck quietly before the Trident security guard could try to subdue him instead of the other way around.

The man began to drag his body into a supply closet, disposing of his body covertly before closing the door. "That look long enough." murmured the man, who massaged his neck after silently hiding the body.

"Jean!" A female shouted from the enclosed offices of the Clover Heavy Industries' deserted 76th floor. "Get your butt in here!"

"Coming, madame!" grinned Jean, whipping his ponytail behind him before entering the room. At work inside was Hong Kong-based Striker Riza Wong, who had her GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando assault rifle slinged on her back. She fidgeted a bit on her ARCAM Armored Muscle Suit before typing a few commands on the office room's single computer.

"Any luck?" Jean leaned on the wall, crossing his arms on his chest and leaning his back on the wall while being careful with his Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun.

"I don't know." replied the female, who brushed her black ponytail behind her. "Using a salaryman's computer to gain access to the Clover Heavy Industries R&D division is sure taking a long time." _Why can't Mark or Michael come with me on this mission instead of Jean? _She bit her lip while using the computer to check for the said information.

A loud knock came from outside the office, revealing Australian Striker Timothy Wells, Egyptian Striker Jamal Hassan and Japanese Striker Tatsuki Otsuki. All three of them had their ARCAM Armored Muscle Suits on with their vests on with the exception of Timothy as he wore a black Web-Tex Tactical Vest on him with the rest of his tactical gear on.

"We took care of those nosy guards from the two floors above us." quipped Timothy, pointing to the dark corridor behind them. "But I heard more Trident Corporation reinforcements are coming in from the floors below."

Jean didn't like the sound of his tone. "How will they get here?"

Jamal offered to answer him, "Must have been dispatched from either the Campbell Company and Takasumi Zaibatsu branches somewhere in the Hong Kong area. I overheard the radio transmission from the radio extenders of the dead guards when we were trying to dispose of them quietly."

"We'd better hurry." Riza furiously entered a few more commands onto the computer. "Okay, I'm getting some files on some secret files that seemed to be zipped." She took out a blank Zip disk from her Arktis 1606 Sigma Vest and inserted it into the Iomega Zip drive, working on getting the files inside the zip disk.

Otsuki, who was standing near the door with Jamal and Timothy, had the unnerving feeling to unsling his Beretta SCP 70/90 assault rifle at his right shoulder, but decided to wait in order to see if they can get through the entire mission without firing a single shot. Everything was going smoothly as Riza was about to hit the command that would allow her to view data from the Clovers Heavy Industries' Hong Kong R&D Division from the salaryman's computer.

Then, some gunshots rang out of the 76th floor, ending Takashi's speculation on a covert operation.

"Okay!" Riza ejected the zip disk sucessfully after the computer prompted her to remove the said disk. Replacing it in a safe vest pocket and booting the computer to shut down, she unslinged her GIAT FAMAS G2 assault rifle and got ready for action.

Trident commandos rushed inside from the main entrance on the left side of the building, decked with Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine guns, Steyr AUG P carbines and their ALICE web gear. Opening the lights, they began to flood the entire 76th floor with the sound of 9mm and 5.56 NATO bullets. Timothy automatically fired his IMI Galil AR at some of the Trident guards, killing them with potent 7.62 NATO bullets. The building's triangular plan gave the Trident forces an initial advantage over the Strikers.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Jamal and Jean assisted Timothy by pumping out 12 gauge shells from their Franchi SPAS-12 and RDI Protecta shotguns, scoring 3 Trident guards each for one of their shells.

Otsuki and Riza went ahead to open a path for them after they got out of the office area, entering the floor's elevator lobby area from the office's right side. As the two approached the elevator lobby, scores of Trident guards emerged from the safety of sofas, the reception desk and the pillars in front of two surprised Strikers in a massive show of force. The two stunned Strikers were then forced to head back inside the office for cover.

"Dammit!" Otsuki growled at the thought of being cornered. "Trident sure got here fast!"

"Tell me about it!" yelled Riza, who emerged out of the office door frame briefly to lay down suppressive fire with her GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando at the Trident security guards.

Otsuki copied Riza's movements and unloaded his Beretta SCP 70/90 assault rifle at the guards, killing some of them who were unable to get to cover. Riza, who crouched on the carpeted floor, reached out for a M67 grenade clipped on her vest. Removing the safety pin, she tossed it towards the reception desk. In minutes, the M67 exploded, killing most of them while some were critically injured with shrapnels on their bodies.

The two Strikers casually walked towards the fire escape door, taking a few minutes to execute the surviving Trident guards, gasping for breath while feeling pain from the shrapnel of the detonated M67, by aiming the barrels of their rifles at their heads. The crack sounds of their rifles briefly echoed throughout the elevator lobby before Jean, Jamal and Timothy appeared in the area.

"We've managed to hold off the guards, but more are coming!" warned Timothy, who kept firing his IMI Galil AR at two Trident guards armed with Steyr AUG P carbines after emerging from the same door that the Strikers had escaped from.

Otsuki and Jamal ran ahead, approaching the fire escape door after entering the right corridor that lead to the said fire escape door. Jamal opened it and checked the stairway with his Reutech Protecta shotgun, making sure it was clear. He gave a thumbs up to Oshiki, indicating the path was clear.

"All clear!" Otsuki followed him, but stayed behind to make sure no Trident guards were climbing the stairway. Jean, Timothy and Riza were inside the stairway when the French Striker lobbed another M67 grenade after taking off its safety pin as he noticed some stragglers coming near them as some survivors were able to escape from the initial attack when Timothy, Jamal and Jean delayed them for a few minutes to let Riza and Otsuki escape. Aiming carefully, Otsuki fired a short burst from his Beretta SCP 70/90 at the grenade before it landed on the tiled floor, making an explosion that took out another squad of Trident Corporation guards with it.

Jean tapped his shoulder, "Let's go!" Nodding at him, Otsuki raised the Beretta SCP 70/90 and rushed with Jean towards the rooftop of the Central Plaza.

* * *

Rooftop, Central Plaza, Wan Chai, Hong Kong SAR, China

An ARCAM Corporation Sikorsky S-70-27 helicopter began to make a landing on the Central Plaza's rooftop when the Strikers got the rooftop door open. Jamal, who was the first to arrive near the descending chopper as he ran first, got the door of the chopper open, getting inside first before assisting Timothy to get inside with Jean following. Oshiki and Riza stayed behind to cover their backs.

"Thank goodness that it got here!" shouted Jean, wanting to get out of the Central Plaza's roof before it's too late.

The rooftop door bursted open behind them, leading to scores of Trident guards as they took aim at the escaping Strikers.

_Damn! _thought Riza and Jamal, not wanting to stick around to fight off another horde of Trident Corporation security guards.

"Shit!" murmured Jean. "Don't these guys ever give up?" He fired his Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun at them, with no result due to distance problems.

"Grenade!" shouted Timothy; he and Otsuki removed the pins of their M67 grenades and lobbed a couple of them at the approaching Trident forces after quickly zipping their Armored Muscle Suits to activate the suit's artificial muscles, exploding after making impact with the cemented ground to take out a certain number of them when the grenades ripped through their ranks. The guards didn't have time to react to the grenades after it was hurled to them.

Riza, who was about to get on the chopper, fired the rest of her GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando's magazine at the Trident guards, killing some of them before hearing a clicking sound from her gun. She hastily reloaded her weapon after hearing her magazine go empty.

"Move aside!" Timothy brandished a Milkor MK-140 automatic grenade launcher from the S-70-27's cabin and aimed its Aimpoint Comp ML3 red dot sight at the rest of the approaching Trident guards by lobbing deadly HE 40mm grenades at them. The Strikers watched the 40mm grenades make short work of the Trident security guards before the smoke cleared, showing a few survivors from the remaining from the original 20 or so guards that arrived in Central Plaza. All were armed with either Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine guns or Steyr AUG P carbines.

"Crap!" Riza fired a short burst from her GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando, taking some of the guards out before Timothy and Oshiki offered support by firing their own rifles at them, watching the guards drop dead despite firing their weapons. One of them made a reaction of being shot before falling to the ground, firing wild shots from his Steyr AUG P carbine while another did the same with his Hekcler and Koch MP5A3.

After making visual confirmation that the guards were dead, Riza and Otsuki got on the Sikorsky S-70-27 helicopter and closed its cabin door. Timothy told the chopper pilot to get off the helipad, telling them that the mission was complete. Jamal, through the cabin door's window, saw one of guards unloading his Glock 17 at the chopper before collapsing on the ground. It failed as all of the bullets missed by the time the chopper got completely airborne from Central Plaza's helipad.

* * *

Cabin, ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27

"You guys were lucky." grinned the choper pilot, who had a Cantonese accent as he told the assembled group in English. "We've got some radio transmissions that police and ambulances are coming to Central Plaza."

"Any _Ang Chias _(Red Vehicles)?" asked Riza in Cantonese, inquiring about the status of any fire engines.

The pilot shook his hand, replying back in Cantonese. "None. Squad cars are going to cordon the streets surrounding Central Plaza first, based from the radio transmissions."

"Good." Timothy leaned his head against the chopper's frame, exhausted. "Guess we can go back to HQ now."

"By the way," began Otsuki, asking the pilots. "Is the security chief going to see us?"

"Don't know." The co-pilot began to work on the chopper's GPS (Global Positioning System), making sure that they're on their way back to ARCAM's Hong Kong headquarters, located a few miles in the northern area of Central. "I think he's in a party or some sort of meeting."

"Hm." mumbled Jean, turning to Riza. "Where'd you learn to say Ang Chia?"

"That?" Riza bit her lip again. "From Mark."

"Heh, the teacher has been getting some students, eh?" chuckled Jamal, nodding his head at her. Riza could only blush in embarrassment.

Oshiki raised a question to the group, "Riza, what exactly did you find in the computer before we have to left in gunfire?"

"Let's see..." Riza tapped her chin, thinking about what she found. "I remember!" She snapped her fingers, able to figure out what Otsuki was talking about.

"And that is?" Timothy raised a questioning eyebrow at his Hong Kong comrade.

"Something about a prototype armor." Riza adjusted her ponytail. "Trident's suppose to develop it in a few days from now. From reading the text file, it said that they had to do it ASAP."

Jean huffed, "Hope the guys back out there are doing okay." He cradled his Franchi SPAS-12 as the chopper flew over the Central airspace.

* * *

Nadaman, Island Shangri-La, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Inside the hotel's Japanese restaurant, two men were conversing inside from the Nadaman's semi-booth area dressed in business suits. One of them was Chairman Yamamoto of ARCAM Japan, who was chatting with another associate of his, who had neat black hair.

"So I've been hearing that Trident's been making their move around Hong Kong, Yeo." said Yamamoto, beginning their conversation.

"Yes," nodded Yeo Ching Hua, ARCAM Hong Kong's security chief who had a renowned career as a constable in the former Royal Hong Kong Police Force before retiring from the force with the rank of Senior Superintendent and was subsequently recruited by ARCAM Hong Kong to serve as the branch's security chief. He adjusted his eyeglasses on its bridge. "We've heard that Clovers Heavy Industries have moved their field of operations from the Kowloon area to Central in order to operate efficiently according to some of our business sources."

"This is bad." Yamamoto shook his hand while drinking his green tea. "The board of directors have noted this serious threat to us. I wonder how some of us are going to explain this. I wish the chairman would have been here." Yamamoto, after landing in Hong Kong, learned that the chairman of ARCAM's Hong Kong branch was hospitalized for chest problems at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Lai Chi Kok. The security chief had assumed temporary responsibilities to lead Striker operations involving the Hong Kong branch's operatives based in Hong Kong itself while the President assumed temporary executive responsibilities of the branch.

"Don't worry. Some of the Strikers that we've sent out a while ago have infiltrated their offices as they haven't opened yet." The man glanced at his wristwatch. "They should have reported by now."

"Let's hope so for our sake, Yeo." He refilled his green tea, a bit nervous on whether the Strikers had gone a good job. _I knew I should have sent Yu and Tea to support the guys in the Hong Kong operation. If only HQ would have listened to my recommendations on those two._

Suddenly, Yeo's Nokia 8210 cellphone rang out from his coat pocket. Taking the phone, he answered it after covering his mouth with his left hand.

**"Yes, it's me!"**

**"Sir!" **said someone from the other line. **"The Strikers have made it back to headquarters."**

Yeo nodded at hearing the news, **"And the data?"**

**"They've got it with them, sir. Some of our staff who volunteered to stay overtime are checking the zip disk for the data they extracted from the Central Plaza operation. The zip disk used for the said operation is intact. No corrupt data is present."**

**"Good. I'll head back there shortly with Yamamoto." **He then ended his call and replaced the cellphone back at his coat.

"What is it?" Yamamoto had his chopsticks diving towards some sushi. "Is it good news?"

"Indeed." Yeo took his own chopsticks and dipped his Mirugai (Clam) sashimi on his sauce dish filled with soy sauce and wasabi. "Apparently, they were able to obtain the data from Central Plaza."

"And casualties?"

Yeo shrugged, "I don't know about that. We'll have to see for ourselves."

The two ARCAM executives decided to finish off the rest of their dinner before heading back to the ARCAM Hong Kong branch building to see the Strikers who had returned from their Central Plaza operation.

* * *

Passenger Lounge, Hong Kong BAC, Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Lantau, Hong Kong SAR, China

From within the confines of the BAC (Business Aviation Centre) in the safe haven of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport, a middle-aged man sat in the passenger lounge with a group of executives, waiting for their private jets to be ready.

_Hopefully all operations in Clovers would be okay in time for the opening._

Scratching his mustache, the American executive was about to open his Diet Coke can when he heard his Nokia 8250 rang on the lamp table beside him.

**"This better be good!" **snarled the man, wanting to hear some good news.

**"I apologize for the sudden intrusion, Mr. Markson." **said the caller, swallowing some saliva. **"But we weren't able to recover the said data from our Central Plaza office."**

**"WHAT?" **Larry Markson wanted to shout at him, but decided to whisper at him instead while keeping a tempered mood down. **"I thought I told you to make sure this is under wrap."**

**"We did, Mr. Markson." **insisted the caller. **"But most of our security forces dispatched to Central Plaza were killed on sight. Some were even executed with shrapnel wounds on them. We were able to keep this event quiet from the Hong Kong Police and the Hong Kong Security Bureau. We've also dispatched some of our agents in the various Hong Kong news media outlets to keep the events quiet."**

_Those accursed Strikers... _Larry scolded the caller on his phone. **"Do you know that the data could surely give us some trouble if ARCAM were to find out about our latest research project?"**

**"Yes, I do."**

Larry sighed, he couldn't do anything as the evening continued to dawn on him since the Strikers have already raided their Clover Heavy Industries office. **"Make sure our branches increase their security so as to prevent a repeat of this from happening again."**

**"Understood, sir."**

Shutting off his phone, the American Trident executive slapped his hand on his face, remembering the many methods he tried to use to dispose of the Strikers from using Bowman, Yu's ex-knife instructor from COSMOS to Jean's estranged father, Rick Bordeau to subdue ARCAM's Striker agents. _I have to do something before those damn Strikers attempt to attack our branches and extract more information about our latest prototypes_

He needed to do something about the situation, something that he could do in order to give ARCAM a disadvantage. Reaching to his Nokia 8250 again, he dialed a series of numbers and waited for the caller to answer.

**"Mr. Markson." **began the caller, a bit stunned to hear him on the line. **"What can I do for you?"**

Larry grinned before answering, **"Assemble the officers at once. I want Akatsuki, Hedgehog, Dary, Jack and Sidewinder to be in my office after I get back from Hong Kong."**

**"At once, sir. I'll relay the message to our units at once."**

The mustached man grinned and chuckled, shutting his cellphone off and had a little surprise ready for ARCAM and its Strikers.

_Do I have a surprise for you, ARCAM. Your trump cards will regret the day you cross with the Trident Corporation._

Chapter 1 END

Notes/Terms:

Ang Chia - Red Vehicle in Hokkien. This is the literal meaning.

Central Plaza - One of the tallest buildings in the Central District of Hong Kong. Holds several known business firms such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and Sun Microsystems.

HE - High Explosive. Used in grenades and tank bullets mostly to maximize its killing potential against enemy personnel.

Milkor MK-140 - American-made auto grenade launcher that can accomodate other types of less lethal 40mm ammunition like tear gas and concussion. Has a Picatinny railing too.

Sikorsky S-70-27 - is the chopper primarily used in the Hong Kong territories as it's the export version of the Sikorsky S-70. Made similarly to the Black Hawk

To know more about the other Spriggans/Strikers, check Elite Force.


	2. Missions

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige, Ryoji Minagawa and FROM Software. All other characters are under my jurisdiction

Summary:

A trip down to memory lane. After the Strikers have infiltrated Clover Heavy Industries' Hong Kong branch, ARCAM has prepared to meet the worst as some of the Strikers in the former crown colony have discovered that Trident Corporation was at work to create a prototype suit of armor. What is this suit? Will they be able to find more information about it? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 2: Missions

Somewhere in the forests of Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

At the lush and tranquil forests of Nueva Vizcaya, it had the appearance of a peaceful and serene place where people could relax and forget their troubles of city life by taking a vacation in the area, to just simply take a tour.

But deep beneath its peaceful appearance, a covert and secret war had just taken place deep in Nueva Vizcaya's forests. The sounds of gunfire echoed in the area, though it never reached the outskirts of the forest as its residents continued to mind their business.

"Come on!"

It was the yelling voice of Yu Ominae, ARCAM's most prized Striker of Japanese origin, from the Nueve Vizcayan forests. With his ARCAM Armored Muscle Suit bulging, a clear sign of its activation, he had his Heckler and Koch G3A3 assault rifle on his hand and his bandana on his head as he prepared to open fire on his adversary.

"Hey, Ominae!" shouted another. "Save some for me!" _Can't believe that we're doing this on a weekend. It's a good thing or I'd miss the details on the upcoming project from school.  
_

The other voice turned out to be Mark Sy, another prized Striker operator of Filipino origin, who had been deployed in the Cagayan Valley province with some other Striker operators as well. Decked in Swiss Alpenflage camo, shirt and pants alike, and sporting a 75th Ranger Regiment beret on his head, he was ready for action.

"Slowpoke!" grinned Ominae, who used a tree trunk for cover after sensing bullets whizzing past him. "Well, we gotta get these buggers."

Mark raised his Howa Type 89 assault rifle after he knelt beside Yu. "I know. You know that those DFs are quite good at this game." replied Mark from his black balaclava. He fired a short burst from his Japanese assault rifle at their unseen enemies.

"DFs?" Tea Flatte teleported near Mark's rear, nearly freaking out Yu. The British woman glared at him as he wanted to scold her for scaring the hell out of her, but decided to keep quiet. "You mean Delta Force?"

"Nah." Mark shook his head. " I was talking about those damn faggots!"

As soon as enemy gunfire was silent, another Striker operator who almost dressed like Mark came out of the bushes. One exception was that he covered his nose and mouth with some of cloth, leaving his eyes exposed. On his head was a standard ARCAM Corporation beret.

"Delta Force's still out there!" said the operator, holding a Bushmaster M17S assault rifle. "We have to get them!"

"Right, Michael!" Nodding his head at his twin brother, Mark and the others emerged out of cover while Michael provided initial cover fire. Moments later, Chung Yee Hwa aka Edward Chung and Roland Guisan came out of the forest to provide cover fire as well, laying down suppressive fire as the four Striker dashed forward to meet their opponents.

A few days ago, ARCAM explorers under archaeologist Eva McMachon had uncovered a forgotten temple somewhere in the Nueva Vizcayan forests filled with ancient codes similar to the ones ARCAM scientists had examined back in the United States. The US Army got wind of this discovery from their informants and had covertly deployed Delta Force, formally known as 1st Special Forces Operational Delta Airborne (1SFO-DA), using the pretext of using an advance party of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents who arrived in the country a day ago to cover the arrival of American soldiers for the upcoming Balikatan games, to secure the temple as they knew about Project YAMA when its codes similar to the ones discovered by McMahon had nearly brought the world to a halt. Thanks to the CIA, their presence was kept a secret until ARCAM intelligence had uncovered their presence.

"We have to hurry before Delta Force moves them out of the country!" huffed Yu, leading the way with his G3A3 assault rifle.

"I wonder what they the US wants with those codes?" thought Mark, aiming his Howa Type 89's barrel around.

Tea offered an answer, "Maybe to use it against their enemies?" Mark nodded a bit since Tea knew about the Project YAMA situation and had suggested a relevant answer.

* * *

In another part of the forest, another group of Strikers were converging in on the temple, stopping on the way to counter sporadic gunfire.

"Damn!"

A loud muttering came from Harald Bondevik, ARCAM Norwegian Striker. On his hands was his Springfield M21 sniper rifle. It had already fired off a shot when he dispatched a Delta Force soldier scouting ahead from the high branches of the trees behind him a while ago.

"Are they up ahead?" asked Ronald Welles, South African Striker who lugged his Daewoo K3 LMG on his hands.

"Hopefully we could neutralize Delta Force and get Eva out of the way."

Robert Morris, an American Striker, managed to catch up with the first two since he had a SIG MG 710-3 GPMG. But thanks to the activated artificial muscles from his ARCAM Armored Muscle Suit, it helped him move around a lot with the semi-heavy GPMG on his hands.

Automatic gunfire began to echo again in the forest, making the Strikers kneel down.

"Shit!" muttered Miguel Ruiz, another Filipino Striker with the Sy brothers on this mission. Running towards his comrades on a crouched pace, he was careful to handle his Ruger AC-556 assault rifle. Beside him was Sohn Eui-hwan aka Wesley Sohn, South Korean Striker who cradled his ADI F88 assault rifle. "How many are out there?"

"We don't know." shrugged Robert. "From what John told us from recon after he went ahead of us, two groups of Delta Force operators were guarding the subdued ARCAM employees."

"Is Eva safe?" questioned Harald, tightly gripping his M21.

"Not sure." answered Robert. "John just went ahead to make sure we've got a safe path ahead for us."

"Hopefully, she'll be alright." said Wesley, flipping the foregrip of his F88 after collapsing it a while ago after he retracted the foregrip to help him aim at a group of Delta Force soldiers back in the forests when the Strikers first entered, killing almost all of them before Harald shot the others with precise headshots.

With the bulk of the artificial muscles coming from their respective ARCAM Armored Muscle Suits, they began to lug themselves towards their target.

* * *

ARCAM Excavation Camp, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

In the ARCAM excavation camp, several Delta Force soldiers dressed in standard American Woodland BDUs, Woodland Boonie Hats and armed with Colt M4A1 carbines, with some having mounted AAI M203A2 grenade launchers, mounted patrols all around the area after capturing the camp. Since the ARCAM Private Army (APA) had provided a few lightly armed guards, they were quickly overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.

In the middle of the camp were ARCAM research scientists, herded together when Delta Force stormed the excavation camp and plasticuffed all the civilians. Some of them were posted to guard them in case the Strikers would attempt to move in and rescue them.

Eva McMahon, in the center of the herded civilians, looked around her surrounding to see groups of Delta Force soldiers. She couldn't move her arms as they were plasticuffed. She could run, but she'll run the risk of being gunned down in a matter of minutes.

_They've commandeered some pick-ups in here too. _Eva saw that some Delta Force soldiers had pick-up trucks with them, consisting of 2000 models with 2 Ford Rangers, 2 Mitsubishi L200s and 2 Toyota Hi-Lux trucks obtained from local sources. The only differences was the rear of the vehicles had a US Ordnance M60E4 GPMG mounted with a Delta Force soldier commandeering the weapon for each of the pick-ups.

_Hurry guys!_

Eva hoped that help would come on their way.

* * *

Forests of Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

"Man, I'm tired!"

Michael Sy, twin brother of Mark Sy and Striker operator, swatted away annoying tree branches that blocked their way as they prepared to approach the outskirts of the excavated from the north. From initial ARCAM intelligence, only a few Delta Force squads are been posted as most of the force has been placed on the south to expect an assault from the other Strikers lead by Harald.

"You noticed?" quipped Yu, slowly aiming his HK G3A3 at all possible angles. "I could take a little rest, but we're not sure where exactly are Eva and the others will be moved to."

"Nice advantages that the DFs used." snarled Mark, holding his Howa Type 89. "Taking advantage of the upcoming Balikatan exercises as their means of cover."

Tea hummed in agreement, "Pretty smart for them to use the arrivals of CIA agents as cover."

"Ssssh!" Michael told everyone to keep quiet; his Bushmaster M17S rifle aiming at the northern part of the excavated temple. "We've got company."

Mark, Yu and Tea huddled near Michael, who crouched behind a tree trunk for cover as the others began to use the nearby bushes for cover. From their positions, they were able to visualize a few Delta Force troopers armed with Colt M4A1 assault rifles with two of them having AAI M203A2 grenade launcher attachments.

"Bro." whispered Mark, slinging his Howa Type 89. "We better mind cloud them first before we waltz in with the others."

Michael nodded in agreement, slinging his Bushmaster M17S. "I agree too. That way, we'll have less opposition to face with later on after we secure the hostages."

Tea came in to interrupt their planning. "It's a good idea. Yu and I will stay here in case the others show up."

_I don't know. _Mark suddenly hesitated at her, but Tea flashed a smile at him and placed a hand on his right shoulder, reading his mind as the two had the ability to read each other's mind after she had trained him to awaken his psychic power with his twin.

"I'll be alright." assured Tea. "I promise."

"O..Okay." Mark suddenly stuttered for a few seconds before he began to concentrate on using his mind clouding powers with Michael. Minutes later, the two Strikers turned invisible to the naked eye.

"Better go." murmured Mark, motioning to his invisible brother to dispatch the Delta Force patrol ahead of them. "Don't get near them 'til we can silence them before the others know about it."

"Right." whispered Michael in reply. The two went off to dispatch the Delta Force patrol. Though Yu couldn't see them since they used mind cloud, Tea grinned to herself since she knew that her two wards had a brilliant plan for them to use. Minutes later, Roland and Edward caught up with the two after the duo had almost got lost since Yu, Tea and the Sy brothers had moved fast ahead of them.

* * *

From the southern side of the excavated temple, Harald and the rest of his comrades made their slow approach on the main entrance of the ARCAM excavation camp. As expected from intelligence, a massive show of force was shown by Delta Force by multiple soldiers backed by their readily converted pick-up trucks, customized to mount GPMGs at the rear. Harald, since he was at the lead, motioned his comrades to halt and crouch down near the trees, giving them some cover from the eyesight of the Delta Force soldiers.

"Whoa!" whistled Robert, holding his SIG MG 710-3 GPMG carefully. "Delta boys are crawling all over the southern entrance."

"It'd be a lot harder for us to get by them." Wesley used his ADI F88's 1.5x optical sight to check on the position of the Delta Force soldiers. "I found two pick-ups parked near the entrance."

"Say, where's John?" inquired Miguel. "Haven't seen him for a bit." He felt someone tossed some sort of soft object over his head. When he looked up, he glared at the Kenyan Striker who had perched on a tree branch above him by coincidence. Ronald was at their rear, covering their approach to the temple.

"Sorry man!" chuckled John. "Just my way of letting you know my position." Miguel muttered to himself, mentioning something about _talking _to him about fixing his way of signaling his place.

Harald took out a pair of Steiner Military R-8 x 30mm Binoculars that he borrowed from his comrade Patrick Chan since he wasn't available due to an upset stomach. Using the binoculars, he was able to accurately pinpoint each enemy's location better than Wesley's 1.5x optical sight since he thought it would be better used for combat than for observation.

"Listen up." Harald motioned everyone to gather around him, except John since he was instructed to provide some cover for them and to warn them if Delta Force operators were about to move out of the captured ARCAM excavation camp.

"I've managed to check out all the positions of the Delta Force operators." began Harald, explaining their current position as part of their situation. He held his M21 by the foregrip while pointing his finger on certain areas of a map that he had just obtained from a dead Delta Force soldier. "Most of the Delta Force soldiers are amassed here while..."

* * *

Northern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

"Hey, Greg."

"Yea."

Two Delta Force soldiers, patrolling the eastern side of the temple's northern entrance, were engaged in a normal conversation.

"You think the top brass will use the mumbo jumbo inside that temple the ARCAM scientists have recently excavated?"

Greg, the first Delta Force soldier, shrugged. "Don't know, Mike. Just like the thing scientists have found in Britain had resulted in some squabble with the British Army." He then fingered his Colt M4A1's foregrip carefully. "Just like that excavation, almost all the countries wanted to get their hands on this one, but it's a good thing we're here first."

Mike nodded, "Yea, I guess you're right."

The two veteran operators were not aware of strange movement since the presence of two people were were obscure to them, thanks to the mind cloud technique of Mark and Michael Sy, making them completely invisible.

Suddenly, the two Strikers operator became visible at the rear of the two soldiers before withdrawing their respective combat knives from their vests. Mark lunged at Greg by kicking his shin with great force, making him kneel. He grabbed his head and covered his mouth before he slitted his throat with his Fairbarn Sykes Commando Pattern 1 Knife. Michael on the other hand, grabbed Mike's head by the neck and covered his mouth too before stabbing him with his Sheffield Israeli Commando knife at the back of his stomach thrice before stabbing him at his neck.

"Quickly now." murmured Mark, dragging the dead body of the first Delta Force soldier before Michael did the same with his own corpse. "Better find a good place to dispose of the corpses."

"The area around the temple hasn't been cleared of the bushes." suggested Michael. "We could use that to our advantage since they're very long grass leafs."

"Where?"

Michael pointed to an area behind them where they ran across after they used mind cloud to evade detection. "Near the forest. But we have to be fast."

* * *

Outskirts of Southern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

"Are they there yet?" mumbled Robert, prone on the ground with his hands on his SIG MG 710-3. "I wonder if Yu and the others have made it."

"Nah." answered Wesley, holding his ADI F88 on his right hand with the foregrip folded. "I don't see them, only Delta Force operators with some technicals." The two Strikers had settled to check on the southern entrance's right side as part of an eventual plan to assault the temple.

Harald went to the left side with Miguel and Robert as escorts to the left side of the temple's southern entrance. John was still perched on the tree behind them, still conducting surveillance on the temple's central area.

"When are we going to get the rest of them?" pondered Robert. "I mean, I'm an American and all, but I don't like black ops operations conducted under the legal auspices of my country's military just to regain power from the Cold War."

"I know how you feel." Wesley steadily aimed his ADI F88 at the Delta Force soldier/machine gunner on the rear of one of the Ford Ranger pick-ups. "Besides, I've got contact with Yu that Mark and his bro are trying to disable the guards on the northern side."

Robert sighed, "Let's just hope they can get rid of them quietly before my trigger finger starts to fire my SIG MG 710-3."

* * *

Outskirts of Northern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

"How many did they take care of?" whispered Ronald, steadily holding his IMBEL M964 assault rifle while crouching beside a tree trunk.

"They seemed to be working on two more soldiers at least." replied Yu, watching the Sy brothers make short work of the Delta Force soldiers by attacking them from behind while conducting their patrol routes. "So that's 6 in all."

"Still," insisted Edward, who had his hands on his FN FNC assault rifle. "They need to take care of the technical in the northern side of the temple." He was talking about the Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up that was in the northern entrance. Though Mark and Michael dispatched the guard from both sides of the northern entrances, they still need to eliminate the Delta Force operators in that pick-up before we can make a diversion."

Tea grinned upon hearing their concerns. Placing her hands on her trenchcoat, she took out a piece of cloth with a familiar pentragram drawn on it.

"I think I can do that."

Yu, Edward and Ronald suddenly had their faces turned white when they saw the British operative grinning silly while holding the white cloth on her hand. One thing was on their minds.

_Holy shit!_

* * *

Northern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Now at the right side of the temple's northern entrance, the two Strikers handled their assault rifles while searching for a loose end in the temple wall's structure to get inside.

"Hey." whispered Michael, leading the way with his Bushmaster M17S. "Think I found a hole that we can use to enter the temple."

Dashing to his side, Mark found the said area that his brother pointed out to him. It had seemed that a medium-sized hole was inside the temple wall, leading to the courtyard. _It appears that it crumbled during years of aging._

"You're right." Mark slinged his Howa Type 89 assault rifle on his back. "We should be able to sneak up on that damn technical parked inside the entrance." With that, Mark crawled through the hole under the watchful eye of his brother. Once inside, he steadied his weapon to seek if any hostile saw him enter the area. He tapped the brick wall twice, letting Michael know he was inside.

"Right." muttered Michael, slinging his Bushmaster M17S on his back. "Cover me, bro."

Mark grinned, "No problem."

* * *

Larry Markson's Office, Clovers Heavy Industries Canada, Somewhere in Canada

Larry Markson, now back in the Clovers Heavy Industries branch in Canada, was seated in his personal office. Inside with him were several of Trident Corporation's most finest and deadliest soldiers. All of them were wearing their Trident Armored Machine Suits with their olive green BDUs, olive green BDUs and their ALICE gear.

"So let get this straight," began Hedgehog, adjusting his eyeglasses. He was speaking in his calm state."You want us to get ready for an upcoming Trident operation." He was seated in one of the chairs in front of Larry's table.

"Can't say anything more than that." said the businessman, scratching his mustache. "Since the accursed Strikers have infiltrated our Clovers Heavy Industries branch in Hong Kong, all of the other branches have tightened security to avoid a repeat of the said incident."

"It's obviously the fault of those damned guards." sneered Sidewinder, crossing his arms around him. He moved his prosthetic fingers a bit, stretching them. He was seated next to Hedgehog.

"Come on you," chuckled Iwao Akatsuki, standing behind them. "It can't be helped."

Hedgehog turned to face him. "And what do you know about this, Akatsuki?"

Iwao shrugged, "Don't know. Why go full cyborg when having flesh and bones with a machine suit is better than the nuts and bolts embedded in your bodies?"

"What did you say?" Hedgehog felt a vein was about to pop in his head. "Let me get my arm removed and give you a shower from my needle gun."

"Why can't you watch your words, Akatsuki?" Sidewinder cracked his prosthetic knuckles and was about to launch his steel dart heads when a voice came from behind the three.

"Can't you guys stop it?" The trio turned to see Jack the Ripper, lounging at the couch at the back of the office. "We've got an operation coming up soon and now you three are prepared to slaughter each other." He raised his right prosthetic arm, slightly exposing his Omihalcon High Frequency blade from it. "So if you don't cut the chatter, I might do some work on you guys."

Larry sighed, _Can't these three guys stop fighting? I'm getting a headache here. _"Thank you, Jack." The man sighed again before explaining. "I may need you guys to get ready next week. We're about to start testing on our prototype machine suits and I want you all to be on your best on security detail."

"No problems here, chief." grinned Sidewinder, giving a thumbs up.

"Indeed." Hedgehog chuckled, returning to his calm state of conversation. Larry wanted to sweat drop for his semi-strange nature. Most of his colleagues found him peculiar for being calm, but in a state of rage when in battle.

"Of course." Iwao nodded. "I'm ready to have my luck with the Strikers again."

"Same here." yelled Jack the Ripper from the back. "I'll get Ominae," Jack gave an evil smirk. "and the other Strikers too."

Larry decided to end the speculating. "Regardless, we need to prepare for the upcoming mission up ahead. Which means we need to be ready to take on the Strikers."

"Yes, Mr. Markson." answered the Trident soldiers in unison.

Chapter 2 END

Notes/Terms:

1st Special Forces Operational Delta Airborne - Known as Delta Force. America's answer to the British SAS.

ALICE - All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment, in use in the US military. Replaced the M-1967 Modernized Load-Carrying Equipment (MLCE). Is scheduled to be replaced by the Individual Integrated Fighting System or IIFS, though it has yet to be seen.

Balikatan - Shoulder to Shoulder in Tagalog. Codename for military exercises held by the American and Philippine militaries under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Highly debated by various organizations as the 1992 Philippine Constitution does not tolerate the presence of foreign soldiers, friendly or hostile.

PS - If you readers want to know how the other Trident operatives look like besides Akatsuki, let me know in the reviews. As for Larry Markson, he has a Wikipedia entry. Check it out.


	3. Job Done

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object 

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige, Ryoji Minagawa and FROM Software. All other characters are under my jurisdiction

Summary:

A trip down to memory lane. In another part of Asia, other members of the Strikers Elite are conducting covert operations to secure the release of ARCAM archaeologist Eva McMahon and her team from custody of Delta Force, which raided their research camp a day ago. Back in the West, Larry Markson continues to plot against ARCAM's Strikers. Can Yu and the others secure the captive's release? What is Trident exactly planning on the prototype armors? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Note to rx79guntank - Let me know when the latest chapter's about to be posted. Love to give some suggestions to make it a bit better. And yeah, I'll have to see where I can put ARCAM's Hong Kong HQ in the next chapter.

Chapter 3: Job Done

Rear of Northern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Now in the rear entrance of the excavated temple, the Sy brothers began to make their way towards the northern entrance, which was currently being covered by a single technical. The two crouched nearby, watching the technical keep guard.

"Bro." whispered Michaal, pointing to him the 2000 Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up modified with a US Ordnance M60E4 GPMG mounted at the rear of the vehicle."Pick-up's still there. They didn't know about us yet."

"Good." Mark whipped out his Fabrique Nationale Five-Seven pistol from his Safariland Model 6004 SLS Tactical Holster, attached to the belt of his Marom Dolphin IDF Recon Vest. "We can take them down from the rear."

"But how?" hissed Michael. "Do you have a silencer back there?"

Mark whipped out a custom-made silencer from one of front pouches of his vest, while keeping his back on the wall near the rear of the pick-up. "Yeah. ARCAM R&D made this silencer for my Five-Seven. Doesn't need a threaded barrel for that."

"Nice thing that you remembered." quipped Michael, slowly drawing out his Sheffield Israeli Commando knife. Mark installed the silencer on the muzzle of his FN Five-Seven.

"Okay." Mark whispered; Michael raised his knife and held it on the blade's sharp tip before tossing it on the neck of the technical's machine gunner. His brother silently ran towards the technical before the Sheffield's blade made contact with the Delta Force operator's neck, killing him instantly.

"Ack!" yelled the man, who landed on the pick-up's empty rear compartment with a semi-loud thud sound, alarming the vehicle's driver.

"Huh?" The vehicle's driver was about to get out when Mark suddenly appeared near him. "What the?" yelled the driver, about to grab his Beretta M9 from his holster.

Mark teleported to the driver's side of the truck, thanks to his ninja training from Sho of the Commandos team years ago. He quickly aimed the silenced barrel of the FN Five-Seven at the lone Delta Force driver.

"Oh crud!" He was about to raise his sidearm when two silenced gunshots penetrated his left shoulder and chest, seriously wounding the Delta Force operator.

"Right, that's clear." Mark waved to Yu and the others hiding in the forest, telling them that it's okay to come out of the bushes since the coast is clear.

Yu was the first to arrive. "Finally! I thought I'd wait back there. I was about to get the itch." Tea frowned at him. "Come on, Tea. Didn't you see me back there?"

"What's important," emphasized Edward. "is that we're able to neutralize Delta Force presence from the north."

"Yea, he's right." supported Ronald. "We better head inside the temple before more reinforcements show up."

Mark nodded. "I see." With swift movement, he raised his FN Five-Seven and applied a silenced shot on the wounded Delta Force operator, penetrating his head. The soldier didn't have enough time to react and see what hit him.

"Oh shit!" Yu saw the former wounded soldier slump on the steering wheel, eyeing blood that dripped from the steering wheel to the dead man's boots.

"Was about to reach his radio." Mark removed the silencer on his FN Five-Seven. Tea pointed to them the radio that he was about to use, dropped from the soldier's right hand on the technical truck's passenger seat.

Yu, seeing what Mark and Tea meant, whistled. "He didn't know what was coming for him."

The Filipino Striker grinned, "Being a psychic pays off."

"Instead of standing around here," said Ronald, wanting to get everyone's attention. "we better infiltrate the courtyard."

* * *

Courtyard, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines 

Yu, Tea, Ronald, Edward and Michael had huddled themselves near the the former temple's courtyard, busy eyeing the opposition holding ARCAM personnel hostage.

"This is the most despicable ever." hissed Yu, eyeing the bodies of the dead ARCAM Special Private Army (ASPA) agents. To the Japanese Striker, it gave him horrible nightmares of his comrades killed by British SAS operators back in the forests of Britain. "It's like the Berserker operation all over again."

"You said it." agreed Michael. He and Mark were dispatched with Yu back in Britain to eliminate SAS threats to the Berserker. "I'd do anything to avoid a scenario like this again."

"Say..." Edward turned his head left and right. "Where's Mark? Haven't seen him since Delta Force presence by the northern entrance has been taken care of?"

"Sorry peeps." came a whisper from the rear. All the Strikers turned around to see Mark with some M67 fragmentation grenades clipped on his vest. In fact, two of them were on his hands.

"Where'd you get those grenades?" Ronald raised a questioning eyebrow at his comrade.

Mark did a hitchhiker's thumb pointing to his back. "From them." He was referring to the dead corpses of the Delta Force soldiers after he and his brother had killed them without raising the alarm.

"You'll get us in trouble." gritted Ronald. "You know they make loud noises."

"True." Mark tossed a M67 fragmentation grenade to Michael. "We need a diversion to get Eva and the other scientists free from the DFs."

_Not that again. _Michael sighed when he heard his twin refer to Delta Force as damn faggots. _Better grab it_. He then caught the tossed grenades on the gloves of his ARCAM Armored Muscle Suit.

"So what's the plan?" asked Tea, wondering if her male Striker companions have an idea to free their ARCAM companions from Delta Force squads.

Mark grinned under his balaclava. "Simple." He pulled the safety pin of the M67. "We just make some noise."

With that, he tossed his M67 to the 2000 Toyota Hi-Lux that they left alone back at the northern entrance, thanks to the activated artificial muscles on his Armored Muscle Suit. Michael did the same and instead, tossed it into a nearby 2000 Ford Ranger with its rear facing them. It traveled so fast that no Delta Force soldier noticed it until it smashed itself inside the vehicle.

Seconds later, two deafning explosions shook the grounds around the excavated temples.

Moments later, it will erupt into sounds of automatic rifles and machine guns being fired.

* * *

Outskirts of Southern Entrance, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines 

"Shit!"

One of the Delta Force soldiers stationed at the temple's southern entrance, shouted after hearing two blasts coming from the northern side of the temple, perpertrated by the Sy brothers.

"We're under attack!" The 2000 Mitsubishi L200 and Ford Ranger technical trucks roared out from the southern entrance, already exposing them as potential targets from the unseen Strikers.

"Go!" yelled John from the trees up above Robert and Wesley. He fired a shot from his silenced Technical Equipment International (TEI) M89SR sniper rifle, sending a 7.62 NATO bullet deep inside the skull of the Ford Ranger's driver. Similarly, Harald had used the bushes on the left side of the temple's southern entrance to snipe at the Mitsubishi L200's driver with his Springfield M21, sending another 7.62 NATO bullet into the windshield of the other vehicle, killing its driver.

With them out of the way, Robert stood up from lying prone and fired his SIG MG 710-3 GPMG at the disabled pick-ups, killing its two machine gunners and riddling bullets on the trucks before both exploded after the GPMG's 7.62 NATO bullets lodged into the truck's fuel caps, creating two explosions. Wesley knelt next to him, flipped the foregrip of his ADI F88 rifle and used its 1.5x optical sight to help him accurately take aim at some Delta Force soldiers on the ground, killing some of them.

"Fire!" Ronald laid suppressive fire with his Daewoo K3, prone on the grass. 5.56 NATO bullets were launched from the South Korean LMG's barrel to the bodies of the Delta Force soldiers caught by suprise of the initial assault. Working with him was Miguel, who fired his Ruger AC-556 rifle at any Delta Force soldier who tried to fire back at Ronald.

* * *

ARCAM Excavation Camp, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines 

"We're under attack!"

All the Delta Force troopers in the ARCAM camp began to ready their rifles and their pick-up trucks after hearing a certain amount of deafening explosions.

"Take your positions!" yelled one of the Delta Force soldiers. At his words, almost all of them began to take aim with their Colt M4A1 rifles at all directions, mostly at the temple's southern entrance.

Eva and the other ARCAM research scientist could only watch in horror as the American soldiers waited for their adversaries to come to them.

Suddenly, a rifle shot rang out in the air and a bullet struck one of the surprised Delta Force soldiers in the head.

The shot apparently came from the temple's northern entrance.

* * *

"All right, let's get them!" 

Yu took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack after firing a single shot from his HK G3A3 rifle. Ronald was with him when the two fired their rifle at the Delta Force operators from the rear, effectively trapping them between two forces. Harald and the others were outside the southern entrance as they began to converge towards the camp while firing their weapons.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Michael rallied the other operators as he took aim with his Bushmaster M17S rifle at a Delta Force soldier standing near the previously killed Delta Force soldier, 5.56 NATO bullets striking his chest before he fell on the ground. Edward helped him by firing his FN FNC rifle at the opposition, being careful to avoid hitting the hostages.

Mark and Tea, working together, made their way towards the held ARCAM archaeologists while most of Delta Force were busy attending to the two waves of ARCAM Strikers. A shot boomed in the air as a bullet nearly struck one of team.

"Sis." muttered the masked Striker. "I'll have to take the sniper out." _It's at one of those tree near the ARCAM prisoners. _

_Okay. _Tea nodded, using telepathy to communicate with one another since speaking may allow the sniper to escape or to let reinforcements arrive.

She watched Mark teleport to the nearby tree that had the Delta Force sniper. The British Striker noted that the sniper was tossed off the branch after Mark had thrown him off, with his Remington M24 sniper rifle on the ground broken into pieces.

_Probably done after the sniper tried to strike him with the rifle's shoulder butt. _

KACHAK!

Tea turned around slowly to see some Delta Force operators pointing the barrels of their Colt M4A1 carbines at her.

"Okay guys, we've got ourselves a defenseless Striker from those ARCAM chumps." The leader raised the rifle to aim at her forehead. "So missy, we've got you surrounded."

"And so?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly irritating the leader.

"If you don't want to die, then I'd suggest that you'd surrender to you immediately."

Tea smirked at him, grabbing her pentragram cloth from her coat pocket before tossing it to him.

"Maybe you boys _should _run."

The nervous Delta Force operators watched as the cloth turned into a group of winged lions about to lunge at them. Panicking at the strange sight, the American soldiers began to unload their automatic rifles at the strange apparations to no avail.

* * *

"Okay, come on! Let's move it!" 

Harald led the advance towards the ARCAM hostages, having to stop the advance so as to engage another Ford Ranger pick-up after sniping the machine gunner before Ronald gunned down the vehicle's driver, crashing into a nearby tree. Another Toyota Hi-Lux roared out to engage the advancing Strikers, but Miguel tossed an M67 towards the truck thanks to his suit's aritificial muscles to see it crash into the driver's area. The technical's driver had no time to halt and get the grenade as it exploded, killing him and the machine gunner.

"There!" John sniped a Delta Force operator who tried to gun down Harald after seeing him engage the Ford pick-up, killing him with a headshot from his TEI M89SR.

"The hostages!" Miguel picked out his targets carefully after visualizing them with his eyes, switching his Ruger AC-556's rate of fire to single shot in order to minimize civilian casualties. The others did the same after encountering the ARCAM archaeologists being held in the temple's courtyard, converted into an ARCAM research camp.

* * *

"Urgh!" 

A Delta Force was gunned down by Yu and Ronald's 7.62 NATO bullets after the two made their respective rifles fire single shots. The Sy brothers, with Edward, too made their rifles fire single shots as the two Striker groups were busy clearing the area near the held ARCAM archaeologists in a military manner. All the Strikers, except Ronald and Robert, were inside the perimeter of the temple. Ronald and Robert were a bit behind in order to give fire support.

"Enemy at your left, Ominae!" yelled Roland, stopping in his tracks to fire his IMBEL M964 rifle to gun down a Delta Force who was using a US Army M1025 for cover. Michael fired his Bushmaster M17S at a Delta Force soldier climbing up the M1025 in order to main the vehicle's machine gun. His shots went to his chest and neck, effectively neutralizing him.

"Okay! Yu saw another sniper taking aim with his Remington M24 from the trees nearby. He kept firing his HK G3A3 until he saw the sniper drop down from the tree before his rifle went empty.

"Magazine!" Yu went on his knees to reload when Mark came nearby, firing his Howa Type 89 at two Delta Force operators rushing in to attack the Japanese Striker. Edward, on the other hand, shot a couple of Delta Force soldiers who were near the ARCAM hostages.

"Thanks." grinned Yu, thanking his comrade and pal for watching his rear.

"No problem." He eyed the area to make sure their area was clear. "Didn't want them to kill you anyway."

Tea tossed two more pentagram cloths towards Delta Force soldiers near the ARCAM prisoners, making them scramble away while firing their Colt M4A1 rifles.

"Bro, let's do it!" For some reason, Mark dropped his Howa Type 89 and Michael dropped his Bushmaster M17S to rush at the retreating Delta Force soldiers, attacking them with hand-to-hand combat.

"Hah!" Michael rushed in with a Houzanto, dashing underneath a Delta Force operator's swinging SOG RFB81 X-42 to elbow him before grabbing his arm and tossing him over his shoulder. Mark dashed towards two Delta Force operators, who dropped their Colt M4A1s to draw out their SOG knives when he drew out his Black Ninja sword sheathed on his back and executed his Reppuzan, slicing them on their waists before thrusting his weapon's cold steel blade into them. His blade was coated with red blood after withdrawing his ninjato from their bodies.

"Get them!" A group of Delta Force operators rushed in with SOG RFB81 X-42 knives at the ready. Michael cooly drew out his Black Ronin sword.

"Okay. Let's go." said Mark, pointing his blade to the ground with his fingertips touching it. Michael raised his eyebrow, swearing his brother was acting like Saito Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin.

_Never mind. _The two charged at their enemies, momentarily stopping to try and slash at their enemies before the duo executed their X slash technique, killing one of the charging soldiers before the two went to hack and slash the rest of the surviving soldiers.

"Help!" One of them was crawling on the ground, about to grab his dropped Beretta M9 when he felt a cold, steel and sharp blade protrude on his back.

The only thing he saw was red blood that he coughed from his mouth.

"Job done!" Mark twisted his ninjato's blade still on his back a bit to make sure his final adversary was dead for good when he saw him twitch a bit before becoming lifeless.

* * *

ARCAM Excavation Camp, Excavated Temple, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Philippines 

With the camp cleared of Delta Force opposition, one of the ARCAM scientists radioed ARCAM Philippines for help after Eva McMachon and the other scientists were freed from their plasticuffs by Yu and the others. ARCAM Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk choppers came down and landed in and around the temple area, unloading several armed ARCAM Special Private Army (ASPA) operators on the ground from various nationalities. They were decked in SAS SWAT Tactical Vests in dark blue BDUs with various headgears including ballcaps and toques and they were armed with various assault rifles and submachine guns.

"Thanks, guys." Eva checked her wrists before running her left hand on her blonde hair. "The Americans were planning to get us out of the country after the first waves of American Marines were scheduled to arrive from their base in Okinawa."

"I don't know." Yu slightly kicked the corpse of a Delta Force soldier to check if he was dead, holding his HK G3A3. "After the Project YAMA incident, I wouldn't be so sure if the Americans would want to bombard the codes on their enemies."

"I know how you feel." Michael slinged his Bushmaster M17S on his left shoulder. "Being zapped by a laser-like projectile on your arms and legs isn't a part of a good day."

"Me too." Mark unloaded his Howa Type 89's 30-round magazine to check if bullets were still inside. Seeing 10 rounds have already been consumed, he slapped it back on his rifle. "The honchos had better keep a safeguard against the American military in case they'll retaliate."

"It's okay." Harald, John, Roland, Ronald, Edward and Miguel and Robert came to the group, checking the Delta Force bodies to see if they were all alive.

"Harald." Yu nodded. "How did things go?"

"Okay." said John. The Kenyan Striker went to explain some things to him. "All Delta Force soldiers are dead." He pointed to his rear with his thumb.

"He's right." nodded Roland. "We'll need to move fast."

"But what do we do with the Browning M2s on the M1025?" came Miguel, questioning his comrade. "We may not be able to leave these vehicles around?"

"Are we going to salvage them anyway?" questioned Edward. "I mean, ARCAM may need them later on." Robert only chuckled at his friend.

"Good idea, pal." Ronald slapped Edward's shoulder. "I'll relay it to some ASPA chump to take the M2s down from the M1025s later on."

Tea came to the assembled Strikers, coming back from speaking to some ARCAM scientists after liberating them. "It's all right, Black Hawks areready to take us back to Manila."

"With stopovers?" asked Harald. Tea nodded to him.

"What are we waiting for?" said Yu, breaking the atmosphere. "Let's go."

"Finally." Robert stretched his leg on the ground. "Some R&R!"

All the assembled Strikers went to the parked UH-60s, now readied to take them back to ARCAM Philippine HQ.

"See you later guys." said Eva, waving to them before she wentback to clean up their research camp of debris and other stuff from the initial attack by Delta Force and the subsequent raid by the Strikers.

The assembled group, Tea included, waved goodbye before boarding the UH-60 Black Hawks. After Yu entered the Black Hawk, the chopper roared to life as it took off and made their way towards ARCAM Philippines.

* * *

Gate 14, Xavier School, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Philippines 

"School's out!"

Michael let out a triumphant shout, earning strange looks from some of the bystanders and giggles from the girls of the Immaculate Conception Academy or ICA, Xavier High School's sister school. Although, some chuckles from some of the high school students.

"Nice one, bro!" Mark slapped his brother on his back while fixing his messenger bag. It was a good thing that Michael had a backpack on.

"Hey!" scolded the twin. "That almost hurt, you know."

"Besides," Mark brought a hand to his hair. "we've got the rest of the day off. We can stay in HQ for a temporary break 'till tomorrow since mom and dad are still working in San Francisco."

Michael nodded; he did remember the first few days when their parents had to leave in order to work abroad. They lived with some of their relatives before meeting with Chairman Rodriguez, who was dad's friend from his high school days in Xavier. Though their parents had allowed them to stay at their house back in Corinthian Gardens, they were also staying at ARCAM HQ in Makati after being indoctrinated in ARCAM's Strikers.

A 2000 Ford Expedition drove by and stopped in front of the two students. The passenger door window was lowered down, revealing a man in his '30s.

The man inside the SUV uttered a few words to the Strikers/students

"Pasok na kayo." (Get in.)

Without any resistance, the two students went inside and got their bags placed on the baggage compartment before the Ford Expedition drove off, heading to the direction of Makati towards the ARCAM Philippine building in the heart of the country's financial district.

* * *

ARCAM Ford Expedition, en route to Makati 

"Ano ba gagawin natin?" (What are we going to do?) asked Mark, who spoke to the driver of the Expedition. The driver turned his head and replied.

"Pupunta kayong dalawa sa Hong Kong." (You two are heading to Hong Kong).

_Hong Kong. _Michael remembered about an operation conducted in Hong Kong a few weeks ago. But even so, it let him confused as to what are he and his brother going to do in the former crown colony.

Chapter 3 END

Notes/Terms:

ASPA - ARCAM Special Private Army. Main strike force of the ARCAM Corporation.

Corinthian Gardens - A posh subdivision in the Philippines. That's where yours truly came from.

Job Done - A phrase said by Jamie Dow in Ultimate Force back in Episode 1 when he shot former police officer Detective Inspector Brian Duggan in the mouth twice when asked on how he killed him in a bank robbery siege. He said the phrase after saying that he shot him in the mouth twice.

Houzanto - Dashing move used by Guy in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero series by running toward the enemy, ducking underneath arm's length to execute an elbow attack.

Ninjato - A sword that is suppose to resemble a katana. It had been under several myths, including its existence. Though it was supposedly made during the days of WWI when Japan participated on the side of the Allies.

Project YAMA - An ancient virus found in a temple by ARCAM research scientists. The virus was known when it flashed "YAMA ALL OVER THE WORLD" on various computers in the 1990s. It had the sentinent though of being threatened by ARCAM Spriggans and Special Private Army operators, which is why it used ARCAM scientists trapped in one of the corporation's facilities in the US as its human soldiers before erasing itself from the facility's mainframe.

Reppuzan - A sword move that lets someone spin around while slashing his weapon at nearby enemies on the ground.

SOG RFB81 X-42 - A combat knife adopted by American special forces. There's no reason to believe that Delta Force has these knives in service.

X Slash - A Chrono Trigger move that involves Crono and Frog as they do a diagonal slash on an enemy, forming an X shape.


	4. In Hong Kong

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. All other characters are under my jurisdiction. Any mention of Jonathan Harker (Real name unrevealed) is the courtesy of rx79guntank as he allowed me to use him only in name itself, not in character.

Summary:

Having been summoned by ARCAM to head out to Hong Kong, the Sy brothers are deployed a few weeks after their comrades have infiltrated the Clovers Heavy Industries' Hong Kong branch. What will they be doing in the former crown colony? Will they be able to get through this and defeat the Trident Corporation again? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

To rx79guntank - Let me know if you liked the location of ARCAM's Hong Kong HQ. :)

Chapter 4: In Hong Kong

ARCAM Airlines Boeing 737, en route to Hong Kong

_"Head out to Hong Kong and find out about Trident's latest operations regarding a prototype machine suit. Yu and the others will make contact with you boys once you land in Chek Lap Kok."_

"Strange." whispered Mark, sitting in the first class compartment of the plane while remembering the orders received from Chairman Rodriguez. "What does Trident have to do in Hong Kong anyway."

A week had passed before the two Filipino Strikers operators were heading to Hong Kong by themselves on a Friday afternoon. In the main section of the Boeing 737 were some ARCAM employees either heading back to work or were only heading to the former crown colony for simply a vacation as part of their leave from ARCAM Philippines. The employees on board with the Strikers were a mix of personnel from Hong Kong and the Philippines for the most part, with a few Americans, Australians and New Zealanders. A couples of Malaysians were also present. Secretly, the employees were not told of the Sy brothers on board the plane as part of ARCAM's security measures for the most part, though most ARCAM personnel knew of the secret existence of the Strikers.

"You okay?" Michael asked his twin.

"Nah." Mark shook his head, fixing his shirt. The two Strikers were in civilian clothes before they were flown out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. "Just thinking about what Trident has up their sleeves."

"Dont' worry." Michael patted his brother on the shoulder. "We'll get them." He then had a sudden frown on his face.

"Even if we had to duke them in the streets of Hong Kong."

* * *

Baggage Claim, Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre, Chek Lap Kok Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Lantau, Hong Kong SAR, China

Arriving at the designated baggage claim area, the twin brothers were met by Yu Ominae and Jean Jacquemonde waiting for them at the carousel.

"Hey guys." Yu gave high fives to Mark and Michael. "Hope your flight was okay."

"When you'd get here with Jean?" Michael slapped Yu on his arm.

"Yesterday." answered the French Striker, looking around the carousel like a security guard.

"Come on." Yu assisted Mark in getting their luggage from the carousel as it hummed to life. "I've got some stuff to show you back in the bus. Yamamoto told me that Patrick, Michelle and Miguel are coming tomorrow. I think one more might come in with the three too."

The four Strikers were met by Riza, Gerald, Wesley, Tudor, Roland and John before they boarded their waiting vehicle in the arrivals area of the airport.

* * *

ARCAM Toyota Coaster Bus, en route to ARCAM Hong Kong

"Here you go." Jean handed Mark the folder, as told by Yu prior to boarding their bus. John sat next to the driver, Mark sat in the single seat behind John with Yu sitting in a chair near the opening doors. The others were seated in double seats on the bus.

"Thanks, Jean." Mark flipped the folder, revealing information on a seemingly 18-20 year old person wearing an American Woodland uniform, armed with a Colt M4A1 assault rifle. He had typical Asian features, including black hair and yellow skin. Mark quickly assumed that the person had to be Japanese based on his facial features.

"Who's he?" asked Mark, reading over the person's bio and personal information.

"Names Jonathan Harker." said Yu, crossing his arms on his chest as the bus roared out of the airport's arrival area. "Child soldier like me, lost his parents at an early age. Japanese-American."

Mark raised an eyebrow at this. _Sound familiar. _"Was COSMOS involved in this?"

"No." Yu shook his head. "Died in an accident. He was taken in by a man named David Marcel and became his guardian."

"I know him." Michael was seated next to Tudor in an adjacent seat next to Mark. "Wasn't he that mercenary who participated in Operation Desert Storm and Restore Hope when he was with the US Marines?"

"Yep." nodded Yu. He watched Mark leaf through another page of the folder given to him. "Heard about him when I was in COSMOS."

"It says here..." Mark began to read the rest of the information provided to him. "that Jonathan faked his age and joined the US Marines after Marcel passed away of a heart attack. Posted with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force before subsequent transfer to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit." The Filipino Striker continued to rest through the current page that he was reading. "Participated in several operations including Iraq in Operation Desert Fox and in East Timor with INTERFET."

"I don't get it." Mark closed the folder. "What's the deal with him?"

"Well..." Yu sheepishly scratched his head. "Honchos at the main HQ were looking forward to recruit him after he sent a message to one of our offices in California, expressing interest." The Japanese Striker scratched his chin. "Besides, Yamamoto wants your opinion on this after asking some of us."

Mark closed his eyes. "Don't know. This is the first time that we're getting a Striker from the ranks of the US military and a current soldier to boot." He knew some ASPA personnel were formerly American soldiers, some of them from its Marine Corps.

"Does he have a real name or anything I should know?" He asked Yu.

"His first name is Takashi, if I'm right. I'm not sure on his surname." Yu began to think hard. "Oh yeah, he's currently a candidate for the Marine Corps. Force Reconnaissance, aka Force Recon."

"If he's lucky," said Tudor, offering some infomation. "he'll be based at the same camp as he was in the 15th MEU."

_Lucky bastard. _grinned Mark, still rereading Jonathan's data again. "When will he be with the Strikers?"

"Not for a while." replied Yu, waving his hand. "His tour of duty ain't over yet, so maybe in a few years from now. Not sure how long."

"What are we gonna do in HQ?" asked Michael. His brother was busy reading the rest of the data in the folder.

"You guys are gonna be given the lowdown thanks to the Hong Kong branch's security chief." answered Yu.

Tudor added some more information. "We've got some reliable intelligence regarding the locations of a prototype armored machine suit that Trident's making."

"I see." Michael nodded. "Do you guys know?" He saw Tudor shaking his head. "Fine." Michael waved it off.

* * *

Conference Room, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

It was of convenience that ARCAM established its main HQ in One Pacific Place, one of Hong Kong's office buildings in the Pacific Place complex, known for its shopping malls, apartments and office towers. Since it is connected to the MTR and the hotels nearby, ARCAM operatives have found it very useful to stage their operations from the confines of the office tower without fear of being attacked, though ARCAM security personnel posted in the building are ready to thwart any attempted invasion.

"Welcome." Yeo Ching Hua welcomed the Strikers after entering the branch's conference room. Mark and Micheal were informed that ARCAM Hong Kong had purchased the last 10 floors for the branch's use.

"Sir." Mark and Michael nodded at him. Yu, Jean and the other Strikers who have accompanied them found their seats in the conference room as the security chief began to debrief them.

"Since the chairman is still undergoing rest in the hospital, I'll be taking over command of your upcoming operations in Hong Kong." began Yeo, clearing his throat.

"Understood, Mr. Yeo." replied Micheal. "But tell us, sir. Why are we summoned here? You have Yu Ominae and Jean Jacquemonde with some of the others in here."

"I know your concerns." The security chief adjusted his glasses. "But intelligence has acquired recent information that lead us to believe that Trident has plans to begin production of a prototype armored machine suit that would prove to be superior than the ones being fielded by the corporation."

"Damn death merchants." muttered Mark. Yu nodded, feeling the same way.

"Intelligence is checking up on the remaining bits of information that were encoded during the recent infiltration of the Clover Heavy Industries' Hong Kong office." Yeo filed some papers in front of him before turning on a projector on the long table. "So far," he pointed to a picture of a memo noted to Trident scientists in the Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong branch office. "Trident has begun testing of the secret suit from overseas."

Jean raised his hand. "So you're telling us that the suit was first made overseas and it's now here." The French Striker was a bit irritated. "Didn't those business suits try to stop them at first?"

Yeo knew that Jean was referring to the board of directors. He gave a sigh, understanding his frustration. "I understand your concern too, Jean. But they didn't notice it until you infiltrated Central Plaza a few weeks ago and obtained their research data."

Riza fixed her ponytail and brushed some black locks from her face before asking the security chief a question.

"So what do we do while we're waiting for the information?"

Yeo replied. "Well, intelligence did pass on some interesting data regarding someone who has inside knowledge on Trident's latest work."

Tudor raised an eyebrow, running his hand on his brown hair. "Really? Who is it?" He watched Yeo as he operated the projector to change focus to a man in his late 30s, having black hair and glasses.

"His name is Tsang Sie Yu, aka Ronald Tsang. He's a businessman with ties to the Trident Corporation here in Hong Kong."

"That's it?" Yu nearly snapped, wanting to pound the table. "Has the guys in intel been slacking off lately?"

"Cut it out!" snapped Mark, yelling at his comrade. Yu decides to listen to his friend and pay attention. "Sorry, sir. But he has a point. Has intelligence been able to find any other relevant information about him?"

Yeo adjusted his glasses. "He is residing in the Fontana Garden apartments in Causeway Bay. As for his work, we do know he's working somewhere either in the Central or Admiralty district. I'll get them to start asking our informants in the business network to dig up some information about his exact office."

"That's good." piped Gerald. "You know we've been waiting for days on this." The Irish Striker nodded at himself, making a point.

"So when do we move out?" asked John.

"Soon." replied Yeo, gesturing to emphasis his point. "I'll let you all know when you'll be able to get to work later tonight. Latest would be by Saturday morning."

* * *

Conference Room, Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong, Wing On House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Inside the conference, the Trident supersoldier operatives consisting of Iwao Akatsuki, Jack the Ripper and Hedgehog were seated. Dressed in their standard Trident uniform, they awaited news on their next of course ever since their arrival in Hong Kong. Using the Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong branch as their main camp, they began to discuss on their upcoming operation.

"So I reckon that the Strikers have already arrived here?" Hedgehog pushed the bridge of his eyeglasses, smirking like an evil mad scientist. He realized that the Japanese corporation bought some top level floors for them to conduct their operations, similar to what Clovers Heavy Industries had done in the Central Tower.

"Intel did confirm their presence." responded Iwao. Cracking his knuckles, he grinned to the man seated next to him. "Guess this means we'll have a battle ahead of us."

"One thing, Akatsuki." Jack went to raise a point to his comrades. "We don't know what their purpose is that the Strikers are doing. They could be there to ruin more of our operations."

The others nodded at him. The half-cyborg did have a point in telling them that the Strikers could move in to infiltrate the Takasumi Zaibatsu's Hong Kong branch next.

"Excuse me."

A young Asian woman in her 20s came inside the conference room.

"What is it?" Jack addressed the woman.

"I've been informed that the operation will be starting very soon. No further details as of now."

"What about the rumor that COSMOS is being bought up?" Iwao asked.

"I have no idea. But Mr. Markson will probably address that later on."

"Hopefully." murmured Iwao, not sure of the upcoming operation would be a success or not.

* * *

Corridor, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

Mark Sy, now taking a break from the debriefing, excused himself from his comrades as he needed to take a look around the branch since he hasn't been here. The other Strikers were taking their break back at rooms acquired by ARCAM Hong Kong at The Atrium, an apartment area located with the Hong Kong JW Marriott hotel on the right side of One Pacific Place.

He had been walking a bit around the office so much that he didn't notice someone calling out to him until he felt something solid hitting the rear of his head.

"Dammit!" Mark touched the back of his head, feeling the pain. "Can't you act like a normal civilized person out here?"

"Well, well." said the person behind him. "Looks who's talking."

_That voice_. The lone Striker turned around to see Professor Mayzel, who was grinnning at him. At his hand was a newspaper rolled up to the size of a stick.

"Hello, Mark." snickered the professor. "Sorry if I had to do _that_ to you."

"Come on, doc." Mark rolled his eyes at him. "You could've simply tapped me on my shoulder to grab my attention, you know."

"Can't." Mayzel grinned even more at Mark. "It was a bit priceless to see you look like that." His remarks had earned him another _WTF!_ look from the Filipino Striker.

"Whatever." scoffed Mark. "So why did you call me anyway? Something I have to get from you?"

Mayzel nodded. "Yes."

"Professor." The old man turned his head around to see his assistant walking towards him.

"There you are, Margaret." Mayzel turned his attention to address Mark. "Margaret, I assume that you remembered Mark Sy and his brother, Michael."

The brown-haired woman smiled at the Filipino Striker. "Yes I still do, Professor Mayzel."

"Then, come along." Mayzel walked towards his office, with Mark and Margaret following behind. "I have to show you something that could be useful to you in the near future."

"I apologize for the professor." apologized Margaret, walking with Mark. "He really does have that habit of hitting people on the world to call their attention."

Mark rubbed the back of his head. "No wonder."

Margaret smiled again at him. "But I'm sure that it's not a problem between you two anyway."

"Don't worry, Ms. Margaret." Mark smiled back at her. "I'm not really angry at the professor or anything, it's just that I don't like his way of getting people's attention."

The Filipino Striker, still walking alongside, noticed her cheeks turn read.

"Please.." insisted Margaret. "Just call me Margaret. It sounds better than calling me Ms. Margaret."

It was Mark's turn to blush, making Margaret smile at him. "Sure."

* * *

Research & Development Office, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Ah, there you are." Mayzel turned around from his chair to see Mark and Margaret enter the R&D office, now empty except for the old professor.

"You alone in the office, doc?" Mark raised an eyebrow at the old man, who chuckled at him.

"Most of the staff have already went home." Mayzel typed a few commands on the keyboard of a Dell computer. Mark couldn't make out the model as he was unfamiliar with Dell PCs. "I'm just here in Hong Kong to give a talk to some students at The University of Hong Kong in a few days."

"I see." He was handed a plastic cup of water by Margaret. "Thanks, Margaret." Mark drank its contents before throwing it to a nearby trash can.

"While you're here," said Mayzel, facing away from his workstation to see Mark. "there's something I need to hand to you."

Mark watched as the professor grabbed two gloves from the long table that held his workstation. Making sure he took the objects, he threw it at him, making Mark catch it before they fell to the floor.

"Pardon me prof." Mark was a bit confused at the sight of seemingly ordinary gloves. "But they look like the gloves used in our Armored Muscle Suits."

"Yeah they do." Mayzel adjusted his glasses. "In fact, I've tried my hand in modifying them so much that it's a special kind of AMS gloves that are compatible with your suit."

Mark glanced at the gloves in his hand. "What do they do anyway?"

"I suggest you try them first." Mayzel explained. Mark wore them after removing the original gloves from his AMS before replacing them with the gloves given to him by the professor.

"Got it." He flexed his hand on the newly worn gloves. _Strange. They seem a bit different._

"How does it feel?" asked Mayzel, watching his young friend try to feel the newly worn gloves over his hands.

"Something like the old gloves on the suit." Mark moved his hands around. "Thought they felt a bit different." He moved his hands again to see if he was right. "A bit different, but the same as with the old ones."

"I did make some modifications with those gloves that you don't need much gadgets to use it." Mayzel gave a brief overview on the gloves that Mark wore. "Press all your fingers on the glove's palm."

Mark did that and he felt something was activated from inside the glove itself. "I feel something moving from the inside." He had his gloved fingertips on the glove's palm. "What is it?"

"You'll see." Mayzel motioned to Margaret to bring out a wooden dummy used in martial arts training. "Okay, release your fingers from the palm and stretch out two fingers."

Complying to his request, Mark extended his index and middle finger. To his surprise, two thin fiber wires flew out and wrapped itself around the wooden dummy's head.

"You see that?" questioned Mayzel, pointing out to the wires. Seeing Mark nodding to him, he began to explain on the wires from his gloves. "The wires exit from a small opening on the fingertips of the gloved fingers there." He pointed to him the area where the fiber wire are protruding from. "The openings are camouflaged, so no one should be able to detect them."

"Even from using X-ray machines?" The wires were still wrapped around the wooden dummy's head.

"Yes." Mark yanked the wires out, slicing the dummy head. With that done, Margaret went to dispose of the dummy into the trash.

"Wow!" Mark gave a whistle. "Very effective." Giving a single press on the palm with his thumb, he watched the wires retract back into the glove.

"I got this concept from the Spider-Man comics." grinned Mayzel. "Remember that all you have to do is to press the number of fingers on the glove's palm and the corresponding number of fiber wires will emerge from its fingertips."

"Where'd you get the fiber wire stuff?" Mark admired his newly earned gloves.

"Research from combat data with Little Boy during the Turkey mission." Mark remembered how he, his brother and Yu faced Little Boy with Fatman. The three Strikers had gotten away from being killed by the two supersoldiers.

"I have to tell you that the amount of strength that you exert on the wires will determine the pressure that you'll use when the wires are latched onto people or objects." expounded Mayzel, giving Mark a run down on how to use the wires. "No motor is used in the gloves since the wires automatically retract itself back into the gloves."

Mark pondered on the scientist's words. "Reminds me of the tape measure and how the tape retracts back once it's pulled out, only expect I have to use the wires first."

"Exactly." Mayzel nodded. "Also, the extent that the wires can travel is up to 500 meters." Seeing that the boy nodded at him in understanding his words, he then told him to give the gloves back to him. "You better hand that back to me first. I better check on it before I hand it to you tomorrow." Mark agreed and removed the gloves from his hands, giving it back to the ARCAM scientist.

"I better come with you." Margaret walked with Mark out of the office. "I'm heading back to The Atrium with you."

"Really?" Mark was in surprise; he always thought that she'd hit the local hotel and not some apartment room that ARCAM Hong Kong had procured.

"Yea." Margaret then slipped her arm through Mark's. "Come on then, you're going to escort me back." She watched him blush, making her giggle.

"With pleasure." answered Mark as the two exited the main reception of ARCAM's Hong Kong branch before heading towards the building's elevators. The two ARCAM personnel would eventually make their way back to The Atrium and their rooms via underground pathway.

Chapter 4 END

Notes/Terms:

Fontana Gardens - Apartment complex in Causeway Bay. I've lived there for a few years; not a bad place actually.

Force Recon - Full name is United State Marine Corps. Force Reconnaisance. Special forces of the US Marines. The Philippine Marines has the same special forces unit with the same name.

INTERFET - International Forces East Timor. A multinational task force sent to East Timor during the rampage of pro-Indonesian militias in 1999.

MTR - Mass Transit Railway. Hong Kong's official subway system. In Chinese, MTR literally means underground subway.

Operation Desert Fox - Deployment of foreign troops to as a show of force to intimdate Saddam Hussein after his expulsion of UN inspectors on the country's WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) hardware. Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were among those deployed to the region.

The University of Hong Kong - One of Hong Kong's old universities, established back in 1910. It currently faces a decline in English proficiency after the ex-colony's handover to China. Surprisingly, the Chancellor of the school is the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang. Kinda cool to have the head of Hong Kong's government as the chancellor of your school if you guys are studying in the university.


	5. It's Going Down

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom and Tsutomu Takahashi. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

Now in Hong Kong, Mark and Michael must find out what Trident plans to do with their prototype Armored Machine Suits after realizing that they had already conducted tests on it overseas. But in order to get possible clues on this, they have to interrogate a businessman who has ties to Trident in the Hong Kong financial sector. Will they find solid clues to figure out where Trident is hiding their prototype suits? Will they be able to get those clues with the _cooperation _of Tsang Sie Yu, the said businessman with alleged ties to the Trident Corporation? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

PS - Tsang Sie Yu is not related to the current HK CEO. Like I said, he is a made-up character.

As for the gloves, they act like Little Boy's cutting wires, only without any motors. They'll be demonstrated next chapter...

Chapter 5: It's Going Down

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Thanks, Ran." Yu thanked the driver as he was the first Striker to dismount from their vehicle.

Being dropped off by Ran, ARCAM's Gurkha security guard and designated driver, from their 2000 ARCAM Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus van, Mark Sy led the other Strikers were busy working in the early Saturday morning to speak with Tsang Sie Yu after intelligence had confirmed that he was working at the Bank of China Tower. Wearing various civilian clothes over their ARCAM Armored Muscle Suits, they were thankful that Mayzel made the suits to be worn with clothes over them. Strangely, all were wearing jackets in order to conceal their sidearms as they couldn't risk toting their assault rifles and submachine guns around. They were about to get busy.

"Time to get to work." Miguel Ruiz, Filipino Striker who arrived in Hong Kong a while ago was beside Patrick Chan, fellow Filipino Striker who cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Whatever you two." Michelle Bogden flicked her brown ponytail at her rear after some of its hair strands were on her shoulders.

"Okay, guys." Mark urged all the Strikers to gather around while he was already making plans on what to do next. "We're here to speak to Mr. Tsang about his alleged ties to Trident. So I don't want everyone to do anything that could draw attention to us, especially the police." He glared at his comrade. "And that means no pistol smashing or pistol whipping too."

"Nuts." Yu snapped his fingers. _Was about to apply some pressure on the guy._

"All right." Michael said, leading all the Strikers inside the building.

* * *

Lobby, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

With Riza inquiring to the receptionist on the office of Tsang Sie Yu, the other Striker operatives waited for the Hong Kong Striker to finish up her work when they were lounging in one of the lobby's lounge areas, mostly filled with sofas.

Minutes later, Riza spoke with the group and told them of some news.

"Good news guys." On hearing the words _good news _from Riza, the resting Strikers turned their heads to focus their attention to the black-haired girl, waiting for her to say something.

"He's here in the building right now at the KPMG office. The receptionist told us that we can see him soon even though we don't have an appointment." Riza placed her hands on her jacket office.

"Great work, Riza." grinned Yu. "Now we can finally speak to him about his links."

"Hope so, lad." nodded Gerald. The Irish Striker seemed to agree with Yu with his comments.

"Um..." Mark sheepishly raised a hand, earning a smile from Riza since she liked the way he was acting. "What floor is the KPMG in this building?"

"On the 8th floor." grinned the Hong Kong Striker.

Jean stood up from the sofa. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

Elevator Lobby, KPMG Hong Kong, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Arriving at the 8th floor of the Prince Building, the group had disembarked from the building's two elevator since not all of them would not fit into one single elevator.

_Here goes nothing. _Tudor wiped some sweat from his nose as he stepped out of the elevator.

_Now what? _John felt a bit nervous about the new mission, but had to go along so as to stop Trident from doing something diabolical that could harm the world balance.

"I'll go ask." Riza went ahead to the receptionist. Most of the Strikers excused themselves to go to the nearest toilet, leaving Riza to do her work.

Minutes later, all of the Strikers emerged from the toilets, seeing Riza wait for them.

"Can we see him?" asked Yu, referring to Tsang Sie Yu. Seeing Riza nod at him, she watched one of the receptionists lead them to the office's conference room where she told them to wait.

* * *

Conference Room, KPMG Hong Kong, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Greetings." Tsang Sie Yu entered the conference room with the Strikers lazily waiting for him. Mark studied the businessman; he was just as exactly who intelligence described to be as.

"Mr. Ronald Tsang." addressed Yu. "We're from the ARCAM Corporation and we need to ask you some questions."

_What? These teenagers are from ARCAM? _The businessman could not help but be curious that teenagers are actively working for a multinational corporation such as ARCAM. "And what is this about?" asked Tsang as he took his seat.

"We want to ask you..." Gerald stood up from his seat. "regarding your allegations with the Trident Corporation."

"I'm sorry," said Tsang, wiping sweat from his brow. "I don't know what you people are talking about."

_Playing hard to get eh? He's hiding something. _Micheal decided to speed up the questioning pace by speaking to him in a threatening manner. "Look here! We've got reliable and solid information that you have active links with Trident and their backers! So unless you're going to tell us when you spoke with a Trident representative, we're going to keep you here as we can!"

"Impossible!" Tsang rapped the desk with his fist, making a sound. "You can't do this to me!"

Suddenly, Tsang was pinned to the table with hands while a pistol barrel was placed at the rear of his hand.

"Wanna try us?" Miguel whipped out his Glock 21 from his shoulder holster after drawing it out from his jacket. while pinned down by Michelle, keeping the businessman down from trying to make a move. The pistol's barrel was painfully placed at the rear of Tsang's head, aiming at his brain. Tsang was now pleading for his life, begging for mercy.

"Enough!" shouted Mark. "Let him go!" The two Strikers grudgingly agreed to release Tsang from their grip.

Mark scolded Miguel. "I thought I told you that you're not allowed to whip out your pistol." He pointed at the entrance to the conference room. "We could get into trouble in a matter of minutes with HKPD."

Miguel shrugged him off. However, Mark still gave the businessman a warning when he grabbed his necktie, earning an "OOOHH!" remark from some of his comrades.

"I'm gonna stay outside for a while and have some of my friends talk to you." Tsang looked and saw Yu and Jean grinning at him. "You're gonna cooperate with them and tell us anything you know about Trident's latest activities."

With that, he shoved Tsang back at his seat. Before he left the conference room with some Strikers, he turned around and glared at the businessman with a warning.

"If you don't tell us the truth, we'll try to see that you don't live long enough to see the morning sun."

* * *

Cabin, Trident Sikorsky S-70-27

"What's this?" Iwao asked Hedgehog as they were on an unmarked Trident Sikorsky S-70-27.

"Just the report." grinned Hedgehog, adjusting his glasses again before handing him a piece of paper. "We're to intercept the Strikers down in Central." He was seated next to Jack the Ripper.

"Are they interrogating that businessman from KPMG?" sneered Jack, arms crossed on his chest.

"True that he may have spilled some info on us." chuckled Iwao, sitting next to the muscular. "That means we'll have to kill him."

"Tsang Sie Yu's a liability within Trident." Hedgehog flexed his robotic fingers. "We'll have to kill him later on."

"All in due time." Iwao told his comrade. "But we'll have to take care of the Strikers once they come out of the Prince's Building."

"If I heard it right," said Jack, warning his comrades. "some of our spotters have already reported an ARCAM transport on the way to pick them up in a few minutes."

"Let's wait for a report from them first." suggested Iwao. The other operatives nodded at him in response.

* * *

Elevator Lobby, KPMG Hong Kong, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Mark, Michelle, Patrick, Tudor, John and Gerald were waiting in the lobby area while Yu and the rest were busy _spending _their time talking with the businessman to get some leads. Moments later, the rest of the Strikers have emerged from the conference room to the lobby.

"How did it go?" asked John, speaking to the Strikers that arrived at the lobby.

"Fine." Wesley placed a hand on his head. "Managed to get some good solid information out of him."

"True." said Roland in support. "Apparently, Mr. Tsang does have some connections with Trident and he did mention something about them."

Mark grinned. "This has got to be good."

This was when Yu decided to speak up. "The man knows a place where Trident's conducting the testing of their so-called prototype suits."

Jean added more fuel to the fire. "It's some sort of warehouse-like facility somewhere in Kowloon." The Frenchman scratched his neck. "Where the place is located is what we don't know, though he mentioned that the place is secluded."

"Right." Mark quickly stood up from the couch at the lounging area of the lobby. "Better warn Mr. Yeo about this."

* * *

Rooftop, Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Two men dressed in olive green fatigues and Trident berets had been watching the entrance leading to the Prince's Building earlier on. Besides them with their Colt M4A1 assault rifles. Both were Caucasian males with blonde hair.

**"Report!" **buzzed one of their radios. One of the surveying Trident soldiers responded by grabbing his radio unit while the other was maintaining observation on the building.

**"No sign of the Strikers."** said the first soldier, reporting to his superior.

"Hold it!" His companion, the other soldier, motioned him to come on as he had spotted a vehicle on his binoculars. "Their transport's already in the area."

**"Correction." **said the trooper on the radio. **"A van's already approaching the entrance to Prince's Building."**

**"Good." **replied the caller. **"Take them out when they're near their transport." **

**"Yes, sir."** Returning the radio back on his belt, he took out a Saab Bofors AT 4 CS (Confined Space) anti-tank rocket launcher from a black duffel bag next to him.

The second soldier got ready their rappelling gear while the first soldier began to cock the weapon after removing its various safeties on the rocket launcher. With that done, he attached an optical sight on the weapon and took aim at the 2000 Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus van.

* * *

Somewhere near Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Just what I need! A vacation!"

A brown-haired woman wearing a blue tube top and black skirt happily walked on the sidewalk of Chater Road, treading it with her black boots. She also happened to have her black jacket on too.

"Good to see you in a bright mood, Jill." Her black-haired companion, wearing a brown jacket with blue jeans and brown shoes, grinned at her.

"Of course I am, Chris!" beamed Jill. "Who would have thought of spending some quality time down at Hong Kong?"

"I would." A brown-haired man in his middle '20s chuckled at them. "Never thought I'd see you like that."

"Leave Jill alone, Leon!" A bearded man in his '40s-'50s laughed at them. "She needs the energy to enjoy herself."

"Say," Leon shuffled his hand on his hair. "Where are the others? It's unlike them not to come after trying to buy some food from the stalls again?"

"Sorry!"

The group turned around to see Rebecca and Claire running up to them.

"Sorry." smiled Claire. "The fish balls back there was too good to eat."

"Yeah, right." frowned Rebecca. "You almost ate half of my food too."

"Ladies, please." pleaded Barry. "Let's not get into a fight here over food. We can try it some other time, okay?"

"Claire." Chris asked his sister. "Heard anything from Elza or the others?"

"No." Claire shook her hand. "Last time I heard from Elza is that she's currently competing in another motocross rally in Canada. But as for the leads, she's still waiting. Don't know with DJ or with Ark." _Hope Sherry's okay._

"Don't worry about it." Carlos tried to get everyone into a happy mood. "We're on vacation, so let's make the most out of it."

"Carlo's right." smiled Barry. "Besides," He took a glance at his watch. "I can't wait to go shopping with her later on for the kids."

The entire group nodded in agreement with Barry, their thoughts right about one common thing.

* * *

"Watch out, world! The master of Saikyo Groove is in the house!"

A man wearing a pink karate gi pumped his fist in the air, earning some curious looks as to why his attire was pink. He began to do a headbang while holding his CD player before putting it on his knapsack.

"Hey! I taught you were going to give me a refresher in my training!"

A young girl, around the age of 18, was shouting at the man in front of her. Wearing a Japanese sailor fuku suit and having a white headband over her forehead with red fighting gloves, she wasn't your everyday typical student that you'd meet in the streets of Japan.

"It's no fair Dan! You said you were going to teach me one of your new moves and next thing you know, I'm taken to Central!" The girl shook her fist in front of him. "I can't believe you!"

"Calm down, little girl!" grinned the ponytailed man. "Dan's here gonna keep my word with ya, Sakura. I promise you that!"

A Japanese man wearing an orange gi with a blonde-haired Japanese woman in civilian clothes were walking close behind Dan and Sakura.

"No need to worry about that, Sakura." chuckled Guy, wearing the orange gi. "I'll see to it that Dan keeps his promise."

"Thanks, Guy-sempai." Sakura bowed a bit in appreciation.

"Don't you worry, Sakura." The blonde-haired ponytailed girl glared at Dan before smiling at Sakura. "Maki's gonna make sure that he will help you do your training."

* * *

**"How's your vacation so far, Ada?"**

A woman with Chinese looks at the age of 26, Ada Wong was wearing a black jacket over her red blouse. She also had brown pants on too.

**"Why Wesker?" **grinned Ada, speaking to her colleague on her Nokia 8850 cellphone. **"Do you miss me?"**

**"Very funny, Ms. Wong." **said Wesker sarcastically. **"Mocking me on your Hong Kong vacation."**

**"I'm just kidding, Wesker." **giggled the woman.

**"Anyway, the head ups are expecting another meeting when you get back from your lovely R&R there."**

**"Sure, Wesker. You can count on me."**

**"I'll be in touch in case something else comes up in the upcoming agenda."**

**"Of course." **Ada closed her cellphone and kept it in her jacket pocket while trying to enjoy the rest of her day off. She eyed a group of people standing near Chater Road from her position at the Connaught Road Central.

"Leon." She whispered to the air. "Why are you here?"

* * *

A man in his middle '20s walked alone on the sidewalk of Ice House Street. He wore a black jacket over his shirt with black pants and shoes on.

_Yamaki. _sighed the man. _Why didn't you call for backup like you were supposed to?_

He remembered the day when his partner, known as Tsuyoshi Yamaki, was shot to death by an armed illegal delinquent. Initial investigation showed that the suspect turned to be on Chinese descent and was sent on an assassination mission with Yamaki being at the wrong time, though he was supposed to be at a local bar helping the manager clear a local drunk at Shinjuku.

_Calm yourself, Iida. Moping around won't do you any good._

Kyoya Iida had been placed on a temporary paid leave after his superior, Narita, learned of what he did in China after he knew that Iida was indirectly responsible for a few deaths in Shanghai in order to avenge his death. Narita told Iida to rest for a bit since division was currently trying to look for a suitable replacement for him.

_I hope my vacation turns out to be fine. Anyway, can't wait to see who's going to be my partner soon._

* * *

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Right." Ronald checked his watch. "Van should be coming in at any minute now."

"Speaking of the devil, of course." Wesley pointed to his fellow Strikers the incoming van. The traffic, for a strange reason, was kind of light, even though it was almost noon.

"Ford Transit made it in time." whistled Yu, watching the van slowly made its approach.

_Hmm... _Mark sensed something was not right in the area.

"Bro." Michael patted him on his shoulder. "Did you feel it?"

"Yea." Mark whispered to his twin. "Something's not right. I feel that trouble's about to come up in a few more minutes."

* * *

Rooftop, Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Target in sight."

The first soldier, already armed with the ready Saab Bofors AT4 CS rocket launcher, aligned the sights on the incoming 2000 Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus. He had the advantage of having a perfect aim since not much traffic was around the area surrounding Prince's Building.

"Got it." His companion continued to monitor the area via binoculars. "Strikers are outside the main entrance waiting for transport to arrive."

"Has it arrived yet?"

"Almost. I can see it coming in. The same van that dropped off the Strikers a while ago."

The first soldier began to re-aim the sights of the AT4 CS. "Ready and waiting for the drop on those Striker chumps."

The other soldier studied their targets on his binoculars when he told his comrade. "Van's nearing them. Fire as soon as the vehicle's in front of them. No traffic's gonna hamper the way."

* * *

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"I'm telling ya, bro." assured Michael. "It must be something else that we might expect later on or perhaps the information that we got from Tsang Sie Yu regarding Trident's secret hideaway."

_I don't know. _For some reason, Mark isn't convinced by his brother's words. He took his Xavier School ballcap that he clipped on his belt and wore it. His brother did likewise, only wearing the ballcap of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

He knew that something was going to happen. Even though the two are trained psychic, Mark has always been the better one when Tea had trained them before their eventual recruitment into ARCAM.

* * *

Rooftop, Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"They're right in place." The soldier then signaled his companion to fire his weapon at them.

"Right! Going hot!"

With those three words, the other Trident soldier fired his Saab Bofors AT4 CS rocket launcher and aligned its sights at the incoming American-made vehicle.

Afterwards, he depressed the weapon's firing button, launching the rocket launcher's HEAT warhead as it began to streak towards its intended target.

* * *

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"What the!" Mark saw a projectile heading towards their direction with white smoke following it.

"Shit!" The Filipino Striker motioned to his comrades to get away from the missile. "Everyone, hide!"

"What is it?" asked Jean, until he saw the projectile that Mark had noticed. "A missile!"

_You know what that means! _Wesley and some of the other Strikers began to panic, but Yu quickly rallied to his other Striker comrades to get away from the incoming missile.

"Incoming!" The Japanese Striker operator ran away from the Saab Bofors AT4 CS' HEAT warhead when all the Strikers scattered in various directions. Regretfully, their 2000 Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus van wasn't able to get away since the event happened quickly.

A loud explosion then echoed throughout Hong Kong's Central district after the HEAT warhead made contact with the Transit's engine, resulting in an explosion that took out both the driver and the vehicle itself.

* * *

"Everyone okay?"

Mark tried to take command of their current situation.

A situation that took the form of a now destroyed 2000 Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus van with the charred corpse of its driver. Looking at the former body of Ran, the hideous sight only made his blood boil.

"We're okay." shouted Yu through the smoke. Mark looked around and saw that the others were okay, not hit by the HEAT warhead fired from the rooftops of Central's skyscrapers.

"What the hell happened?" Riza coughed through the smoke that came from the charred van.

"Yeah!" coughed Patrick as well. "Who did this to us and to Ran?"

Miguel looked around for a sign of an attacker before he theorized, "You think it's Trident, guys?"

"One thing's for sure." Jean swatted the gray smoke away from him. "Someone's coming to get us for sure."

"He's right." Mark swatted the gray smoke from him also. "They're coming to get us for sure." He looked around to see most of the civilians have left their vehicles in the streets or have evacuated the area in panic.

_And hell they're not even gonna hold back and fight in the streets of Central, aren't they?_

Chapter 5 END

Notes/Terms:

HEAT - High Explosive Anti-Tank. Uses the Neumann effect to make a high-velocity jet of metal in a state of superplasticity that punches through most solid armor. Mostly used for _killing _tanks, though it can also be used on anything that has armored reinforcements such as automobiles, buildings and hardened bunkers.

- The Neuman effect refers to the partial focus of blast energy made by a hollow/void cut into a piece of explosive. This is usually seen in warheads, such as the ones used in missiles for rocket launcher or in grenades (Not the handheld ones) for grenade launchers.

- Superplasticity refers to solid crystalline materials that deforms after a certain amount of force is exerted into it, leading into a breaking point.

KPMG - Named after Klynveld (K), Peat (P), Marwick (M) and Goerdeler (G). Dutch-based professional services company specializing in taxes for the most part. Involved in a 2005 KPMG tax shelter scandal when several of its American-based executives assisted several wealthy clients in tax evasion.

Saab Bofors AT4 CS - A variants of the AT4, used only when fighting in urban warfare. Though it can be used in urban warfare, there are reports that soldiers faint when the weapon is fired from confined areas.

To know more about the characters from Resident Evil and Street Fighter series, I'd recommend that you check wikipedia for info, even though some are questionable. Same goes for Jiraishin. Scanlations are available on the internet currently, so you may want to check that out also. Good cop angst manga to read if you're into that sort of thing, that is.


	6. Rumble in Central, Part 1

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom and Tsutomu Takahashi. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

After the Strikers had their initial meeting with Tsang Sie Yu over his links to Trident, the group suddenly find themselves under attack by mysterious perpetrators in Central. Will they be able to fight their way out? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

To all readers:

Hope this chapter would eventually inspire others to do some action-kicking fics!

Chapter 6: Rumble in Central, Part 1

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Damn, that's got to hurt! Probably a Trident-led attack."

Mark hissed, coughing due to the smoke that intruded his nose before clearing it. _Is Trident willing to stage another attack against us? _He looked around to see most civilian cars have been left in the streets, probably with help from either security guards or police officers on foot patrol. _That'll minimize civilian casualties._

"Right!" yelled Michael, who was with him. The two brothers took cover behind an abandoned 1998 Nissan Bluebird. "Smoke's getting clear."

* * *

Rooftop, Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Got the stuff ready?" The first soldier dumped the used Saab Bofors AT4 CS rocket launcher on their black duffel bag and got a AN-M14 incendiary grenade after slinging his Colt M4A1 rifle on his shoulder.

"Yeah." The other soldier got their rappelling gear ready after slinging his Colt M4A1 assault rifle. After seeing his comrade toss the AN-M14 inside the duffel bag to eliminate any traces of the AT4 CS bazooka from them, he clipped the harness on his waist as the rappelling gear mount was already in place.

"Let's go!" Together, the two Trident soldiers began their descent towards the abandoned streets of Central.

* * *

Entrance, Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Everyone okay?" shouted Yu, now prone near the entrance of Prince's Building. Like the streets of Central, the building had been abandoned due to the attempted rocket attack to kill the Strikers once they were trying to enter their vehicle.

"Yeah."

"Fine."

"Okay."

"No cuts, mate!"

"Got no holes in me!"

Yu looked around the streets, noticing the smoke caused by the explosion on the 2000 Ford Transit Mk. 3 minibus was clearing, but they had another thing coming.

"Guys!" yelled Yu. "Incoming!"

* * *

Abandoned Streets near Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"I see them!" Michael noted two Trident operators rushing towards them, armed and ready with their Colt M4A1s. "They must the ones who tried to assassinate us."

"Bro!" Mark said, standing up from behind the Nissan Bluebird. "On me!"

The two dashed towards the Trident operators; The two hired guns were about to fire their rifles at the incoming Strikers.

"Fire!" yelled the first trooper. The two of them were about to open fire with their assault rifles...

* * *

Abandoned Streets of Connaught Road Central near Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Shit!"

Hearing the booming sound of a vehicle taken out by a rocket, Ada took cove near one of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong hotel, but being careful not to be seen by Leon or with the other Anti-Umbrella comrades that he was with.

_What the hell was that?_

* * *

Abandoned Streets of Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Sakura!" yelled Guy, checking Sakura if she was okay. "Are you hurt?"

"No." shook the student/fighter. "I'm fine." She tried to stand up, but noted a wound mark on her leg, probably caused by hard debris.

"Are you okay, miss?"

Leon, seeing that Sakura was hurt, raised a hand for her to grab onto. "Here."

"Thank you." Sakura in her almost fluent English.

"Guys!" Leon called out to his comrades. "I need help here!"

Jill, Chris, Barry, Rebecca and Claire rushed out to assist Sakura and Maki, who were on the ground after being struck by the shockwave of the AT4 CS rocket attack initiated by Trident mercenaries from the rooftop of Jardine House. Dan and the others thanked Leon and his comrades for their help before joining them in seeking the cover of abandoned vehicles as the two groups were in close proximity with one another.

* * *

Abadoned Intersection of Ice House Road and Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Kyoya dove on the ground, hands covering his head after hearing the impact of a rocket on a van near the Prince's Building.

_Damn rocket!_

Clearly, it was not the detective's good way of spending a vacation.

Hearing the vibration of his rented Nokia 8850, he answered the call and found out who called him while still prone on the cemented sidewalk.

**"Iida!" **yelled an old man on the other line. **"I've heard a story of an attack in Central. Are you all right?"**

**"Believe me old man." **groaned Kyoya. **"You don't want to know anything about it."**

**"Better get out of there. I don't want to hear news of a dead detective later on."**

**"Yes, sir."**

* * *

Abandoned Streets of Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"What are those two doing?" Claire asked, referring to the two Trident mercenaries about to rush in into the two Filipino Strikers.

"Probably the guys who tried to attack their van." replied Rebecca, keeping her head done from cover fire.

"Looks like they're going to fight." commented Leon, motioning everyone to watch the upcoming fight between two groups that are unknown to them.

* * *

Abandoned Streets near Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Heyah!" Michael initiated a roundhouse kick to one of the Trident soldiers before executing a palm thrust on his chest. Thanks to the power of his Armored Muscle Suit, it sent the soldier a few miles away from him before he had his back land on a 1999 Toyota Dyna truck. Grunting in pain, the Trident soldier made an attempt to grab his Glock 17. Michael, seeing it, rolled on the ground and grabbed the trooper's Colt M4A1 and peppered him with bullets.

"Gotcha!" grinned Michael, now moving to check the man's corpse for clips.

Mark, nearing the other Trident operator, raised his hand and went to activate the prototype glove's fiber wires.

_Remember. _Mark began to flex his right hand. _Flex and shoot! _Raising his right hand, he stretched his right index finger, shooting a thin stretch of fiber wire that the Striker aimed at the Trident mercenary's right leg from the tip of the glove's index finger, he then saw the wire wrapping itself on his leg.

"Hah!" Pulling the wire with both his hands after applying moderate strength, he made the trooper fall down on his back, resulting in groaning pain.

"Argh!" The trooper yelped in pain, who didn't know that Mark had used some fiber wire to trip him. Attempting to get his combat knife from his sheath, he failed to note a pistol barrel aimed at his head.

"Sayonara!" (So Long!) muttered Mark, aiming his Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol after getting the pistol from underneath his jacket. "Baka!" (Idiot!)

A single gunshot ripped through the empty Central air, instantly killing the downed Trident soldier after a single 9mm bullet pentrated his skull.

* * *

Abandoned Streets of Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Guy sempai." whispered Sakura, hiding behind a mass of abandoned vehicles. "That guy is ruthless."

"No kidding." Maki seemed shaken a bit, feeling a bit of sympathy for him. _Who is he? His voice sounds familiar._

"Be glad that we're not picking a fight with him." commented Jill. The others, streets fighters and ex-cops (except Claire) alike, nodded at her in agreement.

* * *

Cabin, Trident Sikorsky S-70-27

"Looks like the battle started without us." Sidewinder stared at the chopper window from the cabin.

Hedgehog simply chuckled, patting his right prosthetic arm, ready for battle. Jack the Ripper and Iwao couldn't help, but simply sweat since they wondered if the spectacled Trident agent is a madman or what.

"Strikers are on the move!" yelled the chopper pilot, motioning the others to check his side's window port.

"I'll tell the pilot to move on ahead from the Striker's present location." Iwao alerted the pilots to move on ahead at Connnaught Road Central after making a left on Ice House Road.

* * *

Abadoned Intersection of Ice House Road and Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

_No use staying here!_

Kyoya, though he wanted to follow orders from his boss, decided to hike it towards a group of foreign bystanders that he eyed on the deserted Chater Road. He began his journey to reach them without alerting the Strikers by making a left on Des Vouex Road Central before making a right on Peddler Street before making a right on Connaught Road Central. Using the side alleys, he eventually walked towards Chater Road since the area was deserted due to the rocket attack.

* * *

HKPD Checkpoint, Intersection of Ice House Street and Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

The manned checkpoint consisted of a single 1999 Toyota Coaster bus in HKPD markings with a 1999 Ford Mondeo parked sideways to block the road that leads into the inner districts of Central.

Manned by officers of the HKPD's Police Tactical Unit (PTU), they were Hong Kong's first line of defense against hostile incidents that ordinary officers may not handle. If their situations turns troublesome, PTU officers would dispatch the Special Duties Unit or SDU to come over and assist or replace them. Since the month is February, all of them were wearing blue shirts with dark blue jackets on with HKPD berets.

"What now?" muttered one of the PTU officers standing guard near their 1999 Toyota Coaster, donned in his kevlar vest that had the words POLICE in English and Mandarin Chinese. "I heard gunfire." He had his Heckler and Koch MP5A3 with him. "But who did that?"

"Don't know." muttered another PTU officer, standing near the 1999 Ford Mondeo. "Be on your guard." He also had a Heckler and Koch MP5A3 with him also.

Things were quiet around the area as the PTU squad consisting of 8 officers assigned to the Ice House Streets and Queen's Road Central checkpoint, they were nearly for anything.

That was, until they heard from loud noises coming from their rear.

"What the!" A few of the PTU officers saw heavily armed men wearing olive green fatigues and Trident berets armed with various weapons running towards the checkpoint from the deserted Queen's Road Central.

"Fire!" yelled the Trident platoon leader, who fired his Steyr AUG A1 assault rifle. Two PTU officers were killed instantly as their vests weren't strong enough to withstand a barrage of 5.56 NATO bullets.

"Get them!" shouted one of the PTU officers, who retaliated by firing his HK MP5A3. He was able to cut down two Trident soldiers before a lucky 5.56 NATO bullet made its way and impacted itself on his forehead, killing him.

The firefight between the intruding Trident mercenaries and the PTU officers turned into a small firefight, with PTU numbers slowly dwindling due to the superiority of the Trident soldiers.

"Damn it!" The last surviving PTU officer reloaded his HK MP5A3 and fired it in desperation after running a few feet away from the overrunned checkpoint. He was later gunned down for his troubles.

The Ford Mondeo and Toyota Coaster were riddled with bullets as glass were shattered and its metal bodies had bullets hole in them. A few tires were busted during the gunfire exchange, leaving a flat tire or two.

The Trident mercenaries ran down the deserted Ice House Street, taking a few glances on the dead office.

As soon as they were clear, one of the officers shot groaned due to his major injuries. With his back on the engine cover of the Ford Mondeo, he gripped his radio mouthpiece and made an urgent request.

**"Send in... SDU. Fei Hui..."**

The wounded sergeant, after relaying his message, collapsed and died of his wounds.

* * *

Abandoned Streets near Prince's Building, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Hear that?" Michael had the Colt M4A1 on his hands. "Sounded like a gunfight."

"Whatever it is," Mark handed the Colt M4A1 that he got from the dead trooper to Yu. "we better get out of here."

"Can't agree with you." Yu quickly got the 30-round magazine out to check its remaining bullets. Noting that the magazine had a few rounds used, he slapped it back before all of the Strikers began to run down the abandoned Ice House Street as they didn't want to stick around to figure out who was that initiated the gunfight back at the end of the street that they were standing in.

* * *

Abandoned Streets of Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Did you guys hear that?" whispered Maki, hearing the gunshots from the now overtaken HKPD checkpoint.

"Yeah." murmured Carlos. "Whoever did those didn't leave any witnesses around."

"Hey, who's that?" Jill saw someone running towards their little group, a bit tired.

"I'm Kyoya Iida." introduced the Japanese detective. "I noticed your little group is here and I was wondering if I could join up with you people and escape."

"Sure." nodded Rebecca. "In fact, we were planning to get away from here by following those guys from Prince's Building."

* * *

Streets of Connaught Road Central near Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

**"Ada! Are you all right?"**

A while ago, Ada had answered her cellphone with a call from Wesker. **"Yeah." **She coughed out. **"Don't know who did it, but whoever fired that rocket had a nasty vendetta against some teenagers."**

**"Those teenagers are Striker operatives of the ARCAM Corporation." **said Wesker, a bit concerned on events in Central. **"According to intelligence, the perpetrators happened to be from the Trident Corporation."**

**"Aren't they the mercenaries working for Takasumi Zaibatsu, Clovers Heavy Industries and the Campbell Company?"**

**"You're right." **Wesker stopped for a few seconds before telling his colleague. **"Due to the sudden change of events, I do wish that you could gather some intel on the Strikers. Maybe we could use their combat data for research purposes back in headquarters."**

Ada groaned. _I'm suppose to be on vacation, not on a mission. _**"I'm on vacation, Wesker. Not on some reconnaissance mission!"**

Wesker chuckled at Ada's disappointment. **"You have a few more weeks on your vacation time, Ada. You can use the advantage of the gunfights in Central as a means to barter for a raise with the higher ups, perhaps."**

_Why not? _The Chinese woman sighed, wondering that there was nothing to loose. **"Fine Wesker. I'll see what I can do."**

**"Excellent, Ada. I know you'll do a good job. Wesker out."**

Ada shut the phone, ending their conversation. She then digged through her purse, looking for a video camera to use for the supposed "recon" mission.

"Where's that Optura?" Ada rummaged on her purse until she grabbed her Canon Optura Pi camcorder that the Organization had obtained through their contacts in Canon Japan.

* * *

Somewhere in the abandoned streets of Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"This part's abandoned too." Riza eyed the entire area. "Probably by Trident."

"Keep your eyes open." warned Jean. "They're probably in the area."

Suddenly, the sound of rotating chopper blades came from behind the Strikers when 2 Trident Sikorsky S-70-27 began to unload 2 platoons of Trident soldiers, nearly surprising the agents.

"Shit!" Yu raised his rifle. "They're here."

"Positions, everyone!" said Michael, urging his comrades to take cover using the abandoned vehicles for protection. Ducking behind the various cars, trucks and buses, the ARCAM agents waited until the Trident mercenaries were in a position for the Strikers to take them on. In fact, they had a close call when the sound of an explosion came from an abandoned 1999 Mercedes ML350 SUV and a 1999 Toyota Coaster public greenlight bus. The agents alighted from cover to note that one of the Trident mercenaries had tossed an M67 fragmentation grenade.

"Let's go!" Mark emerged out from hiding behind an abandoned 2000 Toyota Coaster public red light bus and fired his fiber wires after he flexed his left hand, shooting out wires that entangled one of the Trident soldiers on his arms, legs and head.

"Hah!" Pulling the wires after wrapping them slightly on his hand with strong force, he watched as the soldier's body parts get ripped out thanks to the strength of the fiber wires; blood painting the gray paved road.

"Take this!" Michael crouched near an abandoned 2000 BMW M3 convertible, firing his Colt M4A1 assault rifle at the approaching Trident soldiers. Yu, lying prone next to an abandoned 1999 Nissan Cedric red taxi, fired his own Colt M4A1 at any Trident soldier that dared to come close to their group.

"Forget it!" snarled Wesley. "They're close." He launched a punch at an upcoming Trident soldier, slugging him to the ground thanks to his suit. The others likewise began to use martial arts to handle the other Trident soldiers that tried to attack them. Yu and Michael, for one thing, slinged their rifles before going into unarmed combat, using punches, kicks and throws to eliminate the imminent threat.

Jean dashed to a Trident mercenary and punched him in the chest before throwing him into the window of a 1999 Ford Mondeo, critically wounding him. When he saw two more Trident mercenaries armed with GIAT FAMAS G2 assault rifles aiming at him, he dashed towards them and clobbered one with a well-aimed kick to the face while he came behind the rear of the other soldier and snapped his neck.

Yu gave a foot sweep to a Trident soldier sneaking behind him when he saw another one attempting to swipe him.

"Damn!" The Japanese Striker nearly got a cut on his face when he saw the mercenary's kukri. "A Gurkha!"

"No surprise!" He felt Mark press his back against his. "I got one too!" The two had the urge to get help, but duly noted that their comrades were too busy fighting their share of Trident mercenaries.

The two, in unison, dodged the initial swipes when the two Gurkha Trident mercenaries did a vertical swipe, who had their Colt M4A1 assault rifles slinged on their backs. The two punched them, which failed after they dodged. Seeing that the opposition was being wiped thanks to the enemy being slugged, punched, kicked, uppercuted or tossed into vehicles due to the strength of their armored suits, Yu did a palm thrust on the trooper's unprotected chest.

"Eat this!" yelled Yu, watching the trooper stagger a few feet before he dashed at him again, using his kukri blade again.

"Damn Gurkha!" Yu did a roundhouse kick, which missed its aim before doing a double punch attack. "Can't they stop moving for once!"

"Ata!" Mark blocked a kukri swipe meant for his head with his left hand before using a backhand fist attack on his face. Seeing the Gurkha block it, he kneed his crotch and performed a roundhouse kick that went for his chest.

"Gotcha!" grinned the Filipino Striker.

"Eat this!" Yu did a headbutt on the other Gurkha mercenary before doing an elbow thrust. Seeing his opponent feeling weak, the Japanese Striker dashed to him and tossed him over his shoulder with a karate throw. Afterwards, he did a roundhouse kick that sent him flying towards an abandoned 2000 Volvo S70, smashing the glass windows on the car's side doors.

Similarly, Mark used an uppercut on his Gurkha opponent and used a hook punch on him. Seeing the chance to get rid of him, he ran towards him and did a flying kick on his chest, making the Gurkha mercenary stagger before using a palm thrust, sending him towards a abandoned 2000 Isuzu LT134 private bus. He watched the mercenary crash through the bus' windshield and crashed inside its interior. He gave a whistle went he saw his handiwork.

"Come on!" Yu patted his friend on his shoulder. "We have to go!"

"Right!" Mark lead his comrades towards Connaught Road Central. Yu and Michael slinged their rifles to conceal them and dashed towards the intended destination.

* * *

"Whoa!" whistled Chris, watching from a distance. "That's some serious fighting."

"Guy sempai." said Sakura. "One of them looked kinda familiar, don't you think?"

"I think so." nodded the bushin ninja.

"His voice seems familiar." Maki scratched her hair. "But I just don't know where."

"Hey guys." said Jill. "Much as I want to figure who our mystery guy is, we have to escape before we get caught in another fight with them again."

"She's right." noted Claire. _Though they're right. I have a feeling I know who he is._

"We'll figure it out later." said Rebecca in agreement. _Why do I have an intuition that the guy who fought one of those soldiers is familiar?_

As the group headed toward Connaught Road Central, the group was watched by a woman from a distance, the events of what transpired in the streets recorded from a video camera from a side street nearby.

* * *

Streets of Connaught Road Central, in front of Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

The Strikers eventually reached the sidewalk of Connaught Road Central, managing to pass the HKPD checkpoint by passing themselves off as civilians trapped in the early gunfight back near Prince's Building. Using the overhead walkway, they made their way towards the Lantau Island Pier area with someone watching at a distance. Yu and Michael hid the Colt M4A1s on their jackets by slinging it on their shoulders, but the slight protruding of the carbine's barrels brought questions to the PTU officers manning the checkpoint until Mark used memory wipe to forget their encounter regarding the _strange object_ sticking out of Yu and Michael's jacket.

After the Strikers left, Ada followed them for a short distance before PTU officers allowed her to go through after passing herself off as a civilian who got trapped in the initial gunfight near Prince's Building. Same goes for the _other civilians_.

* * *

Lantau Island Pier, Intersection of Man Yiu St. and Finance St., Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"We're safe for now." said Yu, wiping sweat of his forehead.

"Though the interior of Central's been cordoned off by the police, we should be safe here." commented Jean, studying the area.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you."

Looking up, the Strikers noted a few Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers were hovering around the Lantau Island Pier area. Someone very familiar was sitting on the edges of the chopper's cabin.

_Akatsuki, Hedgehog and Jack the Ripper are here. Looks like the entire happy Trident family's already here. Now what?_

Most of the Strikers began to get into various martial art stances; Yu and Michael drew out their Colt M4A1 carbines that they hid under their jackets.

* * *

Nearby, another group of _civilians _that escaped the interior of Central had traced the Strikers in the Lantau Island Pier, only to see some civilians run away from the pier due to the presence of heavily armed men.

"Do you think it's a good idea to watch these guys fight each other near the future?" groaned Chris, thinking that it was not a good idea.

"Quiet!" insisted Jill. "I heard of these guys, Chris. Heard that they were suppose to be mercenaries."

"Which one?" asked Carlos. "The guys wearing olive green fatigues or the ones in civilian clothes."

Claire glared at the Brazilian man. "She meant the guys wearing berets."

"Dan!" squeaked Sakura, stunned at the sight of heavily armed men. "What do we do?"

"Like I said, little girl!" boasted Dan, pointing his right thumb. "The master of Saikyo-ryuu karate's gonna handle this!"

Maki glared at the ponytailed man, "Like the hell you will!"

"Their battle's about to start." said Kyoya, motioning everyone to watch from a short distance through the cover of fleeing civilians, both locals and tourists alike.

* * *

Yu snarled at the Trident operators, aiming his Colt M4A1 assault rifle at them. "Are you guys so eager to toast us that you're actually risking to do battle in an urban city?"

"Quiet, kid!" Jack the Ripper grinned. "As long as we're paid, we'll be able to take care of you Striker chumps."

"I knew it!" Mark sighed, putting his hands on his hips, acting disappointed. "You peeps do anything as long as money's being flashed in front of your eyes."

"Why you!" Jack was about to lunge at him when Iwao placed a hand in front of him.

"Very considering thoughts you got there." grinned Iwao, referring to Mark's comments. "But still, we've got orders to silence your little group once and for all."

Gerald raised his fists, getting into a fighting stance. "Ready for you blokes to go down?"

It was Hedgehog's turn to ridicule the Irish Striker, fixing his glasses on his nosebridge. "What can you do to us, you Irish kid?"

"Watch it, you langer!" shouted Gerald, flexing his hands on his palm.

Jack was a bit impatient and decided to slightly draw out his Omihalcon blade from his prosthetic knuckles as a show of force; the Strikers were not intimidated by the sight of it.

Mark decided to initiate the fight against the Trident soldiers on the pier, which was almost empty due to the appearance of Trident's operatives.

"C'mere!" mocked the Filipino Striker, using his right hand to motion them to come forward and fight them by waving his four fingers at his direction.

Without any words to acknowledge Mark's challenge, the two factions began another part of a covert and secret war waged on the planet for the control of the exotic out-of-place artifacts.

Only this time, they were about to rumbles on the narrow streets of Hong Kong.

Chapter 6 END

Notes/Terms:

Kukri- A Nepalese weapon used by Gurkhas serving in the British and Indian armies. A Nepalese legend once said that a Gurkha never uses his Kukri without drawing blood first.

Langer - Irish slang for idiot. Though it is also an Irish slang for p-nis.

Out-of-place artifacts (OOPArt) - A name given to strange and weird historical, archaeological or paleontological artifacts found in locations that may or may not be easily accessed. The term was given to these exotic objects by Scottish-American zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson. By coincidence, one of the main themes of Spriggan is the existence of out-of-place artifacts and whether they can be used for military/paramilitary purposes or not.

Police Tactical Unit (PTU) - One of the Hong Kong Police Department's special units trained to deal with criminal situations, internal security matters and disasters, they are mostly armed with Heckler and Koch MP5A3 and MP5A4 submachine guns. They wear HKPD berets and kevlar vests with the words POLICE written in English and Mandarin Chinese. In extreme situations, they wear PASGT helmets. Though wearing helmets and the vests make them look similar to their comrades in the Emergency Unit or EU, the main difference between them is that the PTU are dispatched from their regional HQ, while EU officers act similarly to the Armed Response Vehicles of the British Police. They have been featured in Hong Kong media, with the most recent one on Johnny To's movie with the same unit name.

Special Duties Unit (SDU) - Under the PTU, they serve as the HKPD's anti-criminal and anti-terrorist unit in Hong Kong. Trained and influenced by the British SAS and SBS (Special Boat Service), they are known as one of the world's best elite units. Members are sent to train overseas with other units or have been involved in training missions with them. Like their PTU colleagues, the SDU has been famous in Hong Kong for being featured on HK movies and TV shows, with the most prominent ones made by Hong Kong-American actor Michael Wong on the First Option movie and New Option movie/TV series with another recent appearance in Breaking News. They are also known as Fei Hui or Flying Tigers in Mandarin Chinese, not to mention in Cantonese.


	7. Rumble in Central, Part 2

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom and Tsutomu Takahashi. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

Now under fire in the streets of Central, the Strikers are now being cornered by Trident operators in the urban areas of Hong Kong after nearly escaping a deadly attempt on their lives in a rocket attack. Will they be able to beat them back and get out of the area safely? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

To all readers:

Hope this chapter would eventually inspire others to do some action-kicking fics!

Chapter 7: Rumble in Central, Part 2

Lantau Island Pier, Intersection of Man Yiu St. and Finance St., Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

It had been an hour since Yu and his Striker comrades have met up with another Trident mercenary force near the Lantau Island Pier.

"Scatter!" yelled Mark, trying to get a Trident commando off him as the two were on the ground with the latter threatening him with his Glock 17. "Get back to the main road!"

Yu and Michael provided cover fire by firing the remaining ammunition from their Colt M4A1 assault rifles before using it as melee weapons after its remaining ammunition has been exhausted. Granted that the roads behind them were being evacuated again of any civilians, it had an easier job for both Trident and Striker operator with the flexibility to fight anywhere in the streets nearby.

"Hrah!" Mark disarmed his adversary of his Glock 17 and did a palm thrust on him, sending the poor commando flying away from him before crashing on top of an abandoned Nissan Cedric red taxi.

_Ouch! _Mark got up from the paved road and fired the Glock 17 wildly against any Trident operator as he ran back towards Connaught Road Central. Though 9mm bullets were killing off the regular Trident grunts, the agents were somehow treating this like child's play.

"Heh!" Jack the Ripper whipped out his Omihalcon blades and used them to deflect the incoming bullets from hitting him.

"Watch it!" Iwao ducked down to avoid getting a head shot by one of the 9mm bullets that Jack deflected. "You could have killed me with that!"

"You trying to kill us?" snarled Iwao, ducking down in time to avoid two 9mm bullets from penetrating his head. It instead deflated the tire and smashed the passenger window of a 2000 BMW E46 parked near the curb.

Seeing that the opposition was kept busy, Mark tossed the used Glock 17 and ran on down the streets towards his destination.

* * *

Intersection of Harbour View St. and Peddler St., Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Everybody present?" Jean yelled, launching his gloved fist on the face of a Trident commando, trying to stab him from behind. His punch, by luck, was able to avert the situation. The commando had dropped his own combat knife, which missed its mark.

_Couldn't even get to my bomber jacket! _sneered the French Striker, cracking his knuckles for another anticipation. _Knife appears to be a Fairbarn-Sykes..._

"Hwa!" Yu did a solid roundhouse kick that knocked a Trident commando's GIAT FAMAS G2 assault rifle before he did another one that knocked the mercenary out. Seeing Gerald was a bit busy dodging gunfire from the Colt M16A2 assault rifles of two Trident commandos, he sneaked out behind one and snapped the first commando's neck before the Irish Striker used the distraction to knee the other in the crotch before doing a shoulder tackle and an uppercut.

Riza and Miguel, by instinct, decided to draw out their pistols. The former drew out her Charles Daly ZDA pistol while the latter took out his Glock 21 and started to gun down every armed Trident commando that they can target their pistols with while being careful to avoid hitting a civilian or a police officer, an irony to consider for the latter since most of the world's security forces have branded the Strikers to be a dangerous lot to have around and have secret policies handed down to their subordinates to have them killed.

Michelle, on the other hand, began to engage Sidewinder in combat. The only exception here was that the Trident agent had the advantage of his cybernetic hands to launch steel dart heads at his opponents.

"Shit!" She saw him aim the fingertips from his hands at her and managed to leap behind cover of a parked 2000 Nissan Cedric, only hearing the dart heads punching through the glass windows and penetrating the metal of the auto while hearing two tires deflate.

"This is not my day!" fumed the Canadian, debating on whether to use her Heckler and Koch USP 45 pistol.

* * *

Tudor and John were facing off against Iwao and Hedgehog near the General Post Office as the fighting had apparently made its presence near the building. The Romanian Striker was duking it with Iwao while the Kenyan Striker decided to take his chances with Hedgehog.

"Give it up, Striker!" Iwao rammed his gloved fist on the pavement, leaving a small crater. Tudor jumped out of the way by some few seconds before he was pounded.

"I'm not going to let some paramilitary chump like you get those suits up and running!" Tudor charged and prepared to collide his clenched fist with Iwao as the two had their fists ready to violently meet up with each other.

"Take this!" grinned Hedgehog, removing his prosthetic right hand to reveal his needle gun. He then fired off a shot from his weapon, damaging a parked 2000 Toyota Corolla and a 2000 Honda Civic as the Kenyan Striker nimbly dodged him, anticipating the Trident mercenary's attempt to fire his needle gun before moving.

"Eya!" John then aimed a kick on Hedgehog's chest, temporarily dazing the half-cyborg.

* * *

Mark and Michael were now facing Jack the Ripper, though the advantage of two against one were being outwitted by Jack's Omihalcon high frequency blades fitted on his prosthetic arms.

"Whoa, mate!" Mark crouched down to dodge a vertical blade swipe from one of Jack's Omihalcon blade, slicing the top off an abandoned 2000 Mazda 626 used by the Hong Kong Police. He remembered seeing two corpses of the two constables believed to be shot by Trident mercenaries when they responded to a radio report of armed men from the pier; Mark assumed that they had left their car behind to investigate the situation.

"Can't keep you, can you?" grinned Jack, trying to keep up his slash attacks with his blades.

"Maybe."

Jack turned his head momentarily and saw the heel of Michael's shoes kick him in the face.

"Thanks." Mark dashed forward near Jack as he was falling to the ground. With a swift kick that could potentially rival professional soccer players, he gave a kick to Jack's stomach and watched his body fly towards an abandoned 2000 Ford Econovan, leaving a big dent on the van's right side when the Trident mercenary crumpled on the ground.

"Heads up!" The twin Strikers turned to see Jean and Michelle tossing an unarmed Trident trooper to them. Jean had earlier assisted Michelle in taking care of the other Trident mercenary. Seeing his body flying in the air, Michael dashed towards him and did a Bushin Senpuu Kyaku to clobber him in mid-air.

"Right." _Jack's been taken care of. _

"Hey." Jean whispered, stopping for a moment to do a roundhouse kick on a Trident commando armed with a Steyr AUG P assault rifle. "Got word from Tudor said that he and John took care of Akatsuki and Hedgehog."

"Strange." muttered Michael, nimbly dodging a knife stab from another Trident commando. "Is this all?"

A Trident trooper showed up with a hostage and a knife being held.

"Shit!" snarled Riza. "He's got a hostage."

"I caught a glance of her being accompanied by civilians. Where are they?" asked Wesley, a bit worried.

"Saw them leaving the area." answered Ronald. "They were able to leave, but Graham got her."

"If you don't want to see blood spilled from her lovely neck." The Trident trooper had his KA-BAR D2 Impact Combat knife on his hand, slowly inches away from Jill's exposed neck. "I demand that you all stand down at once or she gets it!" He was flanked by two Trident commandos, one armed with a Steyr AUG P assault rifle and another with a Steyr AUG M203 assault rifle.

"Fuck!" hissed John. As noted by the rest of his comrades, they were all being surrounded by Trident commandos while others were being mobilized to keep Hong Kong police officers from reaching them.

"We need a plan." Miguel had the urge to raise his Glock and fire a .45 slug on his head, but opted to wait and see.

"I agree." Patrick said, turning his attention. "Why don't you distract him, Mark, and we can take care of the extra mess here ourselves?"

Mark nodded at his companion. His gloved hand felt for his _weapon _on his pants before springing into action, heading towards Dary.

"What do you think you're doing?" quipped the knife-armed trooper, preparing to make a deadly incision with his knife's on Jill's slender neck when he saw blurry images of Mark taking out one of the Trident commandos with a Rising Punch and the other with a Gale Kick.

"Have a taste of cold Omihalcon steel!" Mark warped out of the trooper's view and was above him, drawing out his Fairbarn Sykes Commando 1 combat knife from his jacket.

"Aagh!" The trooper felt the Fairbarn Sykes' blade penetrate his left shoulder, forcing him to drop his D2 knife and release his hold on Jill.

"How does it feel?" snarled Mark, thrusting the blade deeper and deeper before the wounded trooper shoved him away from her, taking his knife with him.

"Are you okay?" Jill helped Mark up, momentarily taken aback by his resemblance to someone she had met before. Mark's ballcap had, however, managed to hide most of his facial features. _Why does my heart beat so fast? He look so familiar..._

"Come on." murmured Mark, leading her out of the way. "I'll get you out of here."

The two went off, leaving two Trident commandos on the ground with a severely wounded trooper clutching his shoulder wound. He felt his wound was slowly regenerating to close the stab wound before getting his radio and using it to call for help.

**"Get the specials platoons in here, now!"**

* * *

"Here." Mark lead her to Chris, waiting nearby with the others. "Make sure she's all right." Most of the Trident mercenaries were killed, with its agents knocked out cold. Before meeting with him, he resheathed his combat knife under his jacket.

"Thanks." Chris said. Mark nodded, accepting his gratitude.

"Dammit!" snarled Yu.

The Strikers heard more choppers incoming. And they didn't belong to the police or to the local government.

"Why you little?" Wesley was about to draw out his sidearm when he heard the rotor sounds of two Sikorsky S-70-27 helicopters approaching from the direction of the pier.

"Get out of here now!" Michael directed at the civilians, imploring with Chris and Jill to get out of the area.

"Come on!" Jean rallied the other Strikers. Most of the other Strikers have followed Jean towards the semi-abandoned Connaught Road Central, heading to the road leading to Connaught Road West.

"Grab a weapon, peeps!" yelled Mark, reaching out to grab a GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando and Steyr AUG A1 assault rifles, tossing the former to Michael before the two hussled towards the main road.

* * *

Iida flinched a bit, witnessing Mark uses the M203 grenade launcher on Dary after the M67 had exploded underneath him.

_That has got to hurt..._

* * *

En route to Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"What's Trident throwing at us now?" hissed Jean, pausing momentarily to crouch beside a ditched 1997 Mazda 626 before he heard a burst of automatic gunfire emitting from a Trident commando's Colt M4A1 assault rifle, its 5.56 NATO bullets leaving bullet holes on the back windshield and trunk.

"Cover me!" yelled Mark, armed with a Steyr AUG A1 assault rifle, was with Roland. The Swiss Striker gladly armed himself with a FAMAS G2 assault rifle.

"Right. Go for it." insisted Roland. The two used the back of the 1999 Ford Transit Mk. 2 van abandoned on the road as the group were near Connaught Road Central.

Peeking out of cover, Mark fired a short burst from his Steyr AUG A1, killing some Trident commandos.

"Gurkhas again!" Michael went prone near a 1998 Toyota Crown Comfort red taxi left near the Ford Transit van used by Ronald and his brother for cover. He fired off a short burst too from his GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando, catching a few Trident comandos in his sights. He was now unfazed when the Trident Gurkha mercenaries fired at him, missing him. Instead, their shots made holes at the taxi's front windshield and engine cover with the front left tire deflated from a 5.56 NATO bullet slug.

_Shit! _Michael went back to concentrate on gunning down a few more Trident commandos.

"Hrah!" Riza fired her Colt M16A2 assault rifle with Michelle providing fire support from her Steyr AUG M203 assault rifle, using the body of the 2000 Hyundai Atos for cover. The former laid flat on the ground, body parallel to the rear bumper since the car was abandoned sideways while the other crouched behind the engine, using it for cover.

"They keep coming!" Michelle snarled, firing off the only HE round in the M203 at a 2000 Isuzu Trooper with Hong Kong Police markings. The explosion had killed off some Trident mercenaries, but 3 more approaching Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers were beginning to make things a bit difficult for the Strikers.

"More trouble for us!" Yu opened fire with a Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine gun while crouching next to an abandoned 1999 Toyota Camry Hong Kong Police squad car, only stopping to use the Gurkha's own kukri against him when the latter was the first one to be near him. Mark saw a couple of Trident Gurkhas closing it; he too temporarily dropped his Steyr AUG A1 and grabbed the kukri from one of them before using it to stab one of them and killing the other by slicing his head off, heading a meaty thump. A moment ago, he spotted a dead constable's body with a few rifle bullets in his chest, slumped with his back on the back of the car's opened driver door. Yu thought that the man was killed during the initial chaos.

"A little less conversation!" quipped Mark, tipping his ballcap before grabbing the dropped Steyr AUG A1 and resuming his attack on the incoming Trident Gurkhas.

"What the?" Dropping the MP5A3, he parried the blow meant for his head before nearly crushing the bones on the Gurkha mercenary's left hand, catching it with his right hand and performing a vertical slash on his chest before tossing it like a throwing knife on another Gurkha mercenary, dropping dead after receiving the said weapon on his chest.

Flying overhead were two Hong Kong Government Flying Services (GFS) Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers loaded with SDU operators, flown over by Hong Kong Police officials in order to defuse the current situations. The SDU operators inside were ready to be deployed.

"Drop them!" yelled one of the Trident Gurkha commandos, directing his comrades to take out the choppers before feeling a lucky 5.56 NATO slug hit his forehead, killing him instantly.

One of the Gurkha mercenaries made ready his Saab Bofors AT4 CS and aligned it sights at the incoming choppers. Though gunfire from the SDU operatives firing from inside the S-70-27 choppers were able to take out some Trident mercenaries, the HEAT warhead was fired off from the AT4 CS connected with the first S-70-27. The AT4 CS' HEAT warhead made contact with the chopper's main body, without hitting its cabin. The ensuing explosion took out everyone inside and the smoldering chopper landed near the entrance of the Exchange Square, one of Hong Kong's prominent buildings known for having foreign consulates and business as its occupants. Thankfully, the area was evacuated since the chopper hovered nearby in order to use the empty entrance as its staging ground.

* * *

Cabin, Hong Kong Government Flying Services (GFS) Sikorsky S-70-27

"Get us down right now!" yelled the SDU troop commander at the pilots, urging them to land them safely.

"But we don't know where!" insisted the co-pilot. "Using the Exchange Square entrance area is now out of the question. You saw what those guys did to one of our choppers."

"Sir!" One of the masked SDU operators had alerted his troop commander.

"What is it now?" The troop commander asked his subordinate.

"Someone's trying to take aim at us from outside!"

"Then stop him!" ordered the troop commander.

* * *

Near Intersection of Harbour View St. and Peddler St., Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Die!"

Hedgehog aimed his needle gun at the second GFS Sikorsky S-70-27 helicopter while the Strikers and Trident Gurkha commandos kept each other busy. With a precise aim, he fired his weapon at the chopper's tail.

With an evil chuckle, the Trident agent adjusted his glasses as he watched the chopper tried to keep itself upright until it crashed a few feet away from the first chopper in the same area near the Exchange Square.

* * *

En route to Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Cover fire!" yelled Mark, moving away from the Ford Transit van that he and Roland used for cover as it was already riddled with bullets to find another vehicle for protection.

"Here it comes!" Wesley bravely climbed on top of a 1999 Honda Accord and fired his Heckler and Koch MP5A3 at the incoming Trident Gurkhas. Though receiving a direct hit on the chest, he tumbled a bit and crouched on the roof instead while continuing to rain 9mm bullets on the enemy. A few of them were killed by the hail of submachine gunfire. During the gunfight, the South Korean Striker heard some glass break from under him, a result on gunfire incoming from the Trident commandos.

Tudor and Gerald engaged a small group of Trident Gurkha mercenaries using a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser for protection. The former crouched on the left side of the vehicle, but fired at the front of the SUV using a Colt M4 assault rifle; Gerald engaged incoming Trident Gurkhas from the right side of the SUV and fired from the rear with a GIAT FAMAS F1 assault rifle.

"More of them are coming!" yelled Miguel, dashing forward pass them. He held a GIAT FAMAS F1 assault rifle, but had a single M67 grenade that he pilfered from a dead Trident mercenary. Tossing the armed grenade, it landed near 5 Trident Gurkhas and in the explosion, killed them. The Strikers heard another S-70-27 chopper passing overhead, dropping a few more Trident Gurkhas.

John used the rear of an abandoned 2000 Mercedes Benz 416CDI ambulance, abandoned by its users after panicking at the sound of automatic gunfire.

"Did Trident replicate their Gurkhas or what?" quipped John, peeking out of cover to fire his Steyr AUG P assault rifle.

"Must have been recruited these guys from the British army!" Mark was next to him, peeking out also from the unused ambulance to fire off a few rounds from his Steyr AUG A1 assault rifle to stall the Trident Gurkhas. Their enemies retaliated with heavy gunfire, but had squarely made hits with the front windshield, which broke down completely due to the number of bullet holes made on the glass, and its two front tires before the ambulance's front was soon receiving its own share of bullet holes.

"Hey!" Patrick yelled, stopping to fire his GIAT FAMAS G2 SMG assault rifle. "I've got some vehicles that we can use to get out of here!"

Mark nodded before tapping John's shoulder. "Get everyone to move out."

"Okay." The Kenyan Striker peeked out of the rear of the ambulance for the last time before firing a short burst from his Heckler and Koch MP5A3. He only heard returning gunfire hit the sirens of the Mercedes ambulance, lightly chipping it with 5.56 NATO bullets.

* * *

Near Tunnels, Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"This way!" barked Yu, motioning to his fellow Strikers to move it. Their enemies were gaining on them fast.

"We're almost there!" assured Patrick. Suddenly, a squad of Trident Gurkhas appeared nearby by using the flames emitting from the smoldering GFS S-70-27 choppers as cover.

"Why you!" Mark, Jean and Roland fired at their adversaries, killing them for good. Mark went to check on them fast to verify when one of them tried to reach for his Glock 17. The Filipino Striker was quick enough to pump a few rounds into him after running over to his still body.

"Come on!" hollered Riza, providing cover fire for her comrades by using a 1999 Nissan Bluebird for cover, firing near the abandoned vehicle.

"Vehicles are over there inside!" Patrick pointed the way.

A semi-loud rumbling sound was heard from where the Strikers have entered. Mark and Yu were quick tohear the sound of GKN Saxon AT105 APCs marked with Hong Kong Police markings.

"SDU's arrived! We can use them for cover!" shouted Mark, ushering his comrades further inside the tunnel.

* * *

Outskirts of Tunnel, Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Take care of them!" yelled a Trident Gurkha platoon commander, aiming his Steyr AUG A1 assault rifle at a 2000 Mercedes Benz 310 Hong Kong Police van that came in from the direction of Causeway Bay, emptying his clip on it. Joined with other Gurkha commandos, they have killed the vehicle's driver and front passenger, making the van crash into a deserted 2000 Volvo Super Olympian public bus.

A few minutes later, its occupants exited the crashed van and got ready to engage the Trident commandos. Even though they were decked in PTU equipment, their equipment was no match for Trident's as they were all mercilessly gunned down in a matter of minutes.

Hearing the siren of a 2000 Land Rover Defender 110 coming in fast from the direction of the pier, a Trident Gurkha mercenary fired his HE grenade from the AA1 M203 grenade launcher of his Colt M16A2 assault rifle, sending the SUV to a spin before it landed on its side. Eventually, it blew up and resulted in a smoldering wreck.

Coming from behind the smoldering Defender 110 was a 1999 Ford Transit Mk. 2 Hong Kong Police van, believed to be with PTU officers. It skidded to a stop and its occupants dismounted to engage them.

"Let's go!" Hedgehog fired his needle gun at them, killing 3 officers with its needle shots. Iwao joined in, firing his Steyr AUG A1 at them. The PTU officers and vehicle were both riddled with 5.56 NATO bullet heads. Soon enough, the Ford Transit had cracks on its side windows, a broken front windshield, a couple of deflated tires, bullets holes on the van's frame with a couple of dart heads embedded on the front of the Transit. Its police siren was half destroyed from gunfire.

A 2000 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 314 Hong Kong Police van came towards the group at full speed from the direction of the General Post Office. Suddenly, Jack the Ripper hopped on the van's roof to amuse its occupants before doing a flip a few feet away from the van. He dashed forward and used his left Omihalcon blade on his left prosthetic arm to blow up the right front and rear tires, making the van crash into an abandoned 2000 Toyota Crown Comfort red taxi and a 2000 BMW E39.

From inside the van, another squad of PTU officers tried to engage with Jack. However, the Trident agent's combination of speed and agility, thanks to his Armored Machine Suit, made things useless for the PTU officers. Doubling that with his Omihalcon blades in his prosthetic arms, it had the advantage for him as he used his Omihalcon blades to slice the PTU men dead by hacking and slashing them.

"Uwah!" shouted the PTU officers, killed by having their body decapitated due to the strength of the Omihalcon blades that Jack carried on his arms. He smirked after killing them.

_Good! HKPD will have to reel from our handiwork._

Suddenly, he and the other Trident mercenaries were alarmed when 2 GKN Saxon AT105 APCs were driving into the killzone, accompanied by a 1999 Mazda Bongo Hong Kong Police van with an unmarked 1999 Volvo S70 and a 1999 Mazda 626.

The combined Trident Gurkha mercenaries and Trident agents began to work on disabling the Mazda Bongo. The vehicle crashed into an abandoned 1997 Honda Civic and forcing the 2 unmarked vehicles to grind into a halt. The Trident Gurkhas began to pepper the two cars, rendering them unusable before killing two of the detectives who have dismounted from the vehicles. Their colleagues pulled them into cover by using the abandoned civilian cars while using their sidearms to fight back, mostly consisting of revolvers.

Iwao and Hedgehog focused their attention on the crashed Mazda Bongo, firing their weapons at the constables and PTU officers as they dismounted from the vehicles. All of them have been killed before they focused their attention on the SDU operators exiting from the Saxon APCs, who fought back with the same ferocity as the Trident mercenaries have.

* * *

Tunnels, Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"That was shit!" murmured Jean, seeing the Trident commandos engage with officers of the HKPD.

"We can't stay here anymore!" hissed John. "We better get inside the vehicles."

Mark and Michael crouched on the pavement near a ditched 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer, carefully whipping out their Sig Sauer SP 2022 and Bul M5 Government pistols and twirling them on their hands.

"They there are!" Two Trident Gurkha mercenaries ran towards the tunnels with a Colt M4 assault rifle and a GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando in their hands.

"Get them!" hissed Mark. He fired a couple of shots from his SP 2022 to kill the first Trident Gurkha armed with the G2 Commando, falling down with his back first. Michael fired a couple of shots from his M5 Government, hitting the second commando armed with the M4 on his neck and left shoulder before he saw the Gurkha hit the trunk of the abandoned 1998 Volvo V70 and collapse on the ground.

"Come on, you two!" yelled Wesley, urging to hurry on. "Leg it!"

"Right." said Mark. The two Strikers ran inside the tunnel, heading towards the other side.

* * *

Somewhere near Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

_Who is he? _Jill had her thoughts on Mark, who had saved her from being killed by Dary. _He reminds me of Mark, but is it him?_

"Jill." She had her head up and saw Leon talking to her. "You all right?"

"Yeah." Jill managed a smile. "A little shaky."

The group had been herded to safety, being escorted to a safe area cordoned by armed PTU and SDU officers. While Jill was a bit relieved that they were all safe, some of them were ecstatic to see the shootout, primarily from the side of the Strikers.

"Did you see that?" chuckled Carlos. "I mean, those two cats were pretty cool when they handled those uniformed bums like they were nothing back near the tunnel."

"You were right there." grinned Barry. He did the same technique that Mark and Michael used to draw out their sidearms since the safe area was a bit far from the firefight, but a bit close for them to see the rest of the battle.

"I did dig those cool moves that the teenagers did against them." Chris gave a goofy grin too before frowning. "But still, what was the deal with those two groups?"

"If I remember correctly," explained Maki, stretching her hands. "I believe I heard the word ARCAM from them."

"Can't it be?" Claire wondered. "I did hear that ARCAM's a multinational corporation dedicated to the preservation of ancient artifacts."

"If that's the case." said Guy. "Why does a company like ARCAM have armed agents on their payroll?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Kyoya. The others nodded in agreement.

Jill couldn't help, but smile at the thought of being rescued by the stranger.

_Whoever you are, thank you. I can't help it that you remind me of Mark. I hope that it was him._

Upon thinking about the boy who she had met back in Raccoon City a few years ago, her smile became even wider.

Outside the safe zone, the SDU continued to engage with Trident's mercenary force.

* * *

Tunnels, Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Finally!" Yu motioned them to come near them. Apparently, Patrick's effort have netted a 2000 Land Rover Discovery with Hong Kong Police markings, indicating that it belonged to the force's Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) with a 2000 Isuzu Trooper with regular Hong Kong Police markings.

Mark was on the driver's seat of the Land Rover with Yu beside him. Behind them were Riza, John and Tudor on the second row with Patrick and Roland on the third row. Miguel took the Trooper's driver's seat with Gerald next to her. Jean, Michael and Wesley were behind them in the second row and on the third row, Michelle occupied its seats. The group had ditched the rifles that they've taken from the dead Trident commandos before boarding the two vehicles.

"Where to?" Mark buckled himself on the driver's seat.

"Better head to the field hospital." suggested Riza. "It's nearby and it only takes a few minutes to get there since the area was cleared off."

"Good idea." As he activated the Discovery's ignition, he asked Patrick on what happened to the officers who had used the vehicles.

"Hey, Pat. You know what happened to the officers, especially the guys from the bomb squad?"

"Don't know, Mark. I did see a glimpse of their corpses nearby the area where Dary took the hostage. They were killed by Trident mercenaries a while ago."

"Sucks to be them." murmured Yu, placing his seat belt on.

"Shut it." Mark muttered. "We better get a move on." _Must have been shot while responding to radio calls. Strange is that bomb squad people here aren't armed. Still, they probably tried to do something._

"Right." sighed Yu. He turned on the SUV's sirens. Seeing that it was done, Mark drove the Land Rover Discovery out first from the tunnel with its siren on so as to avoid suspicion from police officers and civilians alike. Yu motioned the Isuzu Trooper and its driver to follow close behind. Moments later, the Trooper turned on its emergency lights.

The two marked Hong Kong Police SUVs rolled out of the tunnel, leaving Central as it was now abandoned towards ARCAM Hong Kong's local field hospital. Towards their destination, the Land Rover Discovery took the lead and the Isuzu Trooper followed behind it.

Chapter 7 END

Notes/Terms:

A little less conversation - Line used by Henno in Ultimate Force when he used a machete to chop the head of a rebel army commander. Quite bloody, but good!

Bushin Senpuu Kyaku - Bushin Whirlwind Kick. Used by Guy in the Street Fighter Alpha series.

Charles Daly ZDA - Pistol marked in North America, based from the Yugloslavian ZDA pistol made by Zastava Arms, which is based on the Sig Sauer P226.

Gale Kick - A roundhouse kick that uses channeled ki energy. Think of it like the psychic blow used by Yu Ominae in Spriggan.

GIAT FAMAS G2 SMG - Micro version of the FAMAS G2 assault rifle.

Government Flying Services (GFS) - Flying services unit of the HK government used for many operations, such as air ambulance and police operations. Created in April 1, 1993 to take over non-military functions of the former Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF).

Rising Punch - Influenced by the Shoryuken punches done by Ryu, Ken and Sean. Dan calls it Koryuken while Akuma doesn't say anything. Makes you wonder why, eh?

Steyr AUG M203 - Grenade launcher version of the Steyr AUG A1. Attached with special equipment below the foregrip.

Steyr AUG P - Carbine version of the Steyr AUG A1.


	8. Today's Meetings

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object 

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

Safely retreated from a battle-scarred Central after engaging Trident forces in an urban war-style gun battle with elements of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Strikers realized that they have to move against Trident as soon as they can before it's too late. Can the Strikers deal a severe blow to Trident's operations in Hong Kong? What information did the Strikers acquire from Tsang Sie Yu? Can they make good use of it? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 8: Today's Meetings

Ada's Room, Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China

**"Ada, I do trust that everything's all right back there."**

Back in her hotel room, Ada spoke to Wesker via cellphone as they decided not to use the hotel landline for safety reasons.

**"Indeed I do. I did take the footage of the Strikers from the rocket attack until their evacuation. They'll be sure to make good use of it." **_Right Wesker, thanks for being concerned about me after flinging me into that shootout in Central._

**"I trust that you were not seen by the Raccoon City survivors." **Wesker asked, double checking if the spy was spotted.

Ada hesistated for a split second, remembering that she saw Leon's face in the safe zone before replying, **"No, everything went well as planned."** The black-haired woman made a decision that she shouldn't Wesker about Leon's presence in the former crown colony.

**"Good. The highers up told me that you should have a little rest for now. Enjoy the sights of Hong Kong."**

_Sure I will. _Ada internally growled at Wesker before shutting off her mobile, lying on her bed to rest before going out of her hotel room to grab a bite to eat, staring at the bare ceiling on top of her.**  
**

* * *

Conference Room, ARCAM Hong Kong Hospital, Wan Chai North, Hong Kong SAR, China 

The Strikers, having successfully retreated from Central, adjourned themselves into the conference of the ARCAM Hong Kong Hospital. Surprisingly enough, ARCAM has managed to establish hospitals all over the world in capitals of most countries. These structures enable ARCAM operators to use the place as a launch pad for their operations or as a refuge point when they receive wounds during their missions.

"I can't believe it!" Most of the Strikers were listening to Yu rant and rant about what happened a while ago back in Central while they were busy waiting. "We just had our meeting with our closest link and BOOM!" Yu used his hands to indicate the explosion that took out their van. "Central just became a war zone in a matter of minutes!"

"The reason is how Trident was able to stay one step ahead of us after all this time..." mused Riza, sitting next to Jean, who was busy napping. "That's the big question that we have to address first."

"I agree there." John came back from the vending machine outside with a can of Sprite. "They must have been really worried that they decided to send some of their best men against us. I mean, I personally think a rocket launcher used against us is overkill."

"We can't worry about that now." Wesley decided to make a point. "What we better worry about is where do we strike Trident and when. I mean, we just got word that the security chief's hassling the poor men and women of intel."

"You're probably right there." Roland nodded, stretching his legs on the conference table.

"Heads up, folks." Mark went inside the conference room, escorting Yeo Ching Hua to the room. "We've got brand new info."

"This better be good." Michelle drummed her gloved fingers on the table, since all of them still had their civilian clothes on top of their Armored Muscle Suits.

"Good news and bad news for today, ladies and gentlemen." Yeo started the meeting. Michael stood up from his seat to close the door before the ARCAM Hong Kong security chief started the projector that linked up to a COMPAQ monitor.

"Bad news is," Yeo typed up the website for the CNN webpage. "Tsang Sie Yu has been killed a while ago after the incident that you people have done back in Central."

"You can't blame us!" Yu was enraged, slamming his hand on the table and standing up at the same time. "We couldn't help it if those Trident dummies were there!"

"Ominae!" Mark glared at him. "I will not say this again, but I will suggest that you sit down and shut up." Yu grudgingly sat down on his seat.

"Sir." Mark rubbed his forehead. "Why is he on the CNN network anyway? And who killed him?"

"Ah yes." Yeo fixed his glasses. "He does have some links to major American and British politicians, which was rumored that he contributed some money for the campaign of certain politicians."

"Oh."

"And second," After the CNN Asia links had shown up, he clicked a link that showed the man's picture. "We believe that Trident assassinated him shortly after the little war that happened back there."

"By who?" Now awake, Jean was a bit interested in the information that the security chief offered.

"By this." The projector instantly reflected the picture of Tsang Sie Yu was on the ground of a parking lot, neck shown to have two hole marks with blood trickling out of his neck.

"What the?" Tudor's eyes nearly buldged out of his skull when he saw the pale businessman's face in the picture. "Did Dary do that to him?"

Yeo scratched his left cheek. "Most likely. He must have been ordered by Larry to finish him off in order to prevent him from alerting the police."

"So what now?" Mark yawned after hearing the news.

"Our sources in the Security Bureau have reported that high-ranking officials from the HKPD are having a meeting right now. Initial reports have stated that their report on the shootout is a minor incident, but the other participants are saying that HKPD will be on maximum alert for a number of days."

"We'll have to move quickly before Trident decides to speed up their operations."

"Indeed." Yeo nodded in agreement. "Intelligence is working around the clock to find the probable location of the facility that Tsang Sie Yu has mentioned. But all I can tell you for now is that the location is either in the secluded peaks of Kowloon or in the New Territories."

"That sounds like good to us, sir." Jean played with his blonde ponytail.

"Well." Yeo stood up from his seat. "I've received word that chopper transport is on the way here as I speak. It'll take us back to ARCAM HQ as soon as you're all ready."

* * *

Conference Room, Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong, Wing On House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China 

"I don't believe it!"

Lawrence Soong, head of the Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong branch, was furious upon hearing the report from Trident on the shootout that occured in Central between Trident commandos and the Strikers that lasted for approximately 2 hours.

When he had received the report, he was not in a good mood to say anything about it.

"Of all the things that you could have done to get your business with them!" Lawrence slammed his two open palms on the wooden, polished table. It was a good thing that the table was strong or cracks would have appeared on top of the conference table. "You lot have to conduct a massive shootout with the Strikers with all the bystanders standing around!"

"Cool it, chief." insisted Sidewinder, leaning on the wall next to the door leading outside the conference room. "It's not like we want to do it anyway."

"Even so!" Lawrence shouted back, making Sidewinder wish that he didn't speak his mind out. "Of all those who all of you traded shots with, you Trident hotshots had to get the Hong Kong Police and the SDU involved!"

The Trident agents, seated around the conference table, sighed. They decided to let him finish whatever he had to say to their faces instead of speaking.

"The Security Bureau even had a meeting with some initial suspicions on Takasumi Zaibatsu, Clovers Heavy Industries and the Campbell Company branches. It was with luck that they don't have major evidence against us." Lawrence stopped to wipe his sweat from his brow. "You all should know that I personally have ordered our rural facilities to increase security following the incident."

Dary grinned at him. "You don't have to worry about Tsang Sie Yu. I personally took care of him for all of us."

"I hope so." sighed Lawrence. "The last thing we need is him going to the police for protection against us. Also, Larry has informed that all of you are to head to the facility tomorrow to help demonstrate the use of the finished prototype Armored Machine Suit and to help oversee that no one interferes with the rest of the production."

"You can count of us." boasted Jack, pointing his left thumb to himself. "We'll see that no Striker bum tries to wreck the operation tomorrow."

"It better be. For our sake."

* * *

Penthouse, The Atrium, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China 

"Dagnabit!" mumbled Mark, who had gotten out of his shower. He eyed a note on the kitchen table, with his brother's handwriting.

_Bro,_

_Had gone out with some of the guys to Pacific Place mall for shopping._

_Will be back._

"Least I can get some peace and quiet for now." Crumpling the note, he tossed it to the nearby trash can beside him. Since they didn't have anything to do, the Strikers in unison decided to relax for a bit. Riza went back to school for the meantime to catch up with her lessons while the others planned to do some shopping in Pacific Place since only a small portion of Central was sealed off due to the shootout that had instigated between the Strikers and Trident's commando force.

Mark opened the TV provided inside the room while preparing his lunch, merely consisting of spicy ramen. His main favorite, it was his main staple when he gets up in the morning.

"Now that the food is ready." Mark stared at the wall clock. "CNN should have an update by now."

**"Due to the shootout that took place yesterday in Central between two unknown parties, small sections of the district will remain closed prior to cleanup of the burnt GFS helicopter wreckages near the outskirts of Exchange Square. Hong Kong Police officials have informed CNN yesterday evening that its SDU operators have sustained medium casualties, though most of them are expected to be out of danger by tomorrow morning since some of them were extracted from the second helicopter wreck with minor injuries and with little fatalities. In a meeting recently concluded by the Security Bureau, its delegates have said that the incident yesterday was a minor incident and does not affect the safety of Hong Kong, despite some share losses in the Hang Seng Index in the morning with other stock shares losses in other parts of Asia. Security has been increased in the area with more police officers conducting foot and vehicle patrols in order to prevent a repeat of the said incident."**

_A little trouble for both us and Trident in the meantime thanks to the wonderful, lovely people from Trident. _Mark was preparing the bowl and putting the noodles inside. _Besides, I don't think that Akatsuki and the others are really going to risk another attack on us, at least in the urban areas while the spotlight on them for now. Maybe in a few more days from today._

A soft rap was heard on the door, making the only penthouse occupant a bit nervous.

"Wonder who could that be?" Frisking his back, he was thankful that he hid his Sig Sauer SP 2022 under his clothing. Patting his right side, he felt the pistol on his white shirt and black short, a good sign for some event to occur in case something should happen.

_This better be good! _Walking towards the entrance to the penthouse, he slowly opened the door after using the peephole to confirm his visitor.

_Ms. Margaret? _Mark opened the door to see the brown-haired woman in ordinary civilian clothes. _What's she doing here at this time of hour?_

"Afternoon." Margaret smiled at him. "I hope that I didn't disturb you."

"Nah." Mark waved his hand to assure her. "I was having a little bit of lunch right now."

"Should I come back later, then?"

"No. Come in, I think I do need a guest around." Margaret smiled at him before allowing herself inside.

* * *

"So why are you here, Margaret?" Mark was ready to eat his spicy ramen in the table, Margaret was seated across while the television was still on. "I thought you were supposed to be with the professor and all." 

"Professor Mayzel doesn't need me for the meantime." Margaret shook her head. "So I'm fine for a while until late in the afternoon."

"Really?" Mark raised an eyebrow. "Is he supposed to give the talk in the university and all?"

Margaret again shook her hand, watching Mark eat his lunch. "No, he won't go to The University of Hong Kong until the next day after tomorrow."

"Oh." Before Mark slurped another round of noodle strands from his bowl, he took out his Sig Sauer SP 2022 and placed it on the tabletop beside him before consuming the hot soup after activating the safety. The woman eyed his pistol and sighed before she asked him.

"Um, Mark?"

"Yea?" He stopped drinking his soup, staring at the woman after his name was addressed.

"Try to take it easy."

Mark suddenly became a bit alarmed at Margaret's words. "Excuse me?"

"Take it easy." Margaret reached out for his left hand and held it gently with her hands; Mark's cheeks suddenly turned red at this.

"Uhhh..." _Dammit! What's Margaret trying to do? Initimidate me?_

The woman had her eyes closed, speaking out her mind. "You're still young. Even though you're a Striker with the ARCAM Corporation, you have a long way to go since you have many opportunities ahead of you. Don't try to waste it."

"Err..." Mark was at a loss of words after hearing Margaret's sermon. _She does have a point. I better have another mission after school's done and over with. I do need some rest and time off from being a Striker... _The Filipino Striker stared at his almost empty bowl while he reflected on the woman's meaningful words.

"Please, Mark." Margaret rubbed his hand with her soft thumbs. Mark's cheeks turned to a deep shade of red, indicating that he liked the little activity that she was doing. "Try to relax, even if you're not on duty right now, okay?" She stared at his brown eyes, waiting for his answer.

"Okay." Mark nodded. _She sounded a bit concerned about my welfare._

"You just remind me of Yu, that's all. Only exception is that your parents are in the US, right?"

Then it hit the teenaged Striker; his parents were in San Francisco working in business, most of their years with Citibank.

"Yea. They've been there ever since I was in the 5th grade with my brother."

Since the table was not that bad, Margaret was able to lean on Mark and kissed him on his forehead. Mark stiffened a bit; the kiss somehow reminded him of someone he met back in Hong Kong as a young boy and his mother, still with his father in San Francisco.

"Margaret..." whispered Mark. "You really didn't have to..."

"It's alright." Margaret was the one who now blushed in front of him, though she tried to hide it from him.

"Still, you didn't have to do that. It was unnecessary."

* * *

Somewhere in The Mall, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China 

"This is the life."

Yu and some of the other Strikers were in The Mall, relaxing a bit from their Striker duties as they would wait for final confirmation for the location of Trident's secret facility as ARCAM intelligence was still using its satellite assets to get the exact location of the area.

"Isn't there arcade in this place?" asked Jean, looking around the mall for any signs of it.

"Sorry, Jean." replied Michael. "There are some arcade places that we can go to in the Wan Chai district. Not all of the arcades are found in malls, like back home."

"Look, guys." Roland said, pointing to some girls hanging out near the food courts. "Some chicks."

"Come on." quipped Yu, giving him a sermon. "Is that all you want to do today? Score some girls?"

"I bet I can get one to go on a date with me." The Swiss Striker grinned and casually walked towards the females, trying to look good.

"Anyone want to bet that Roland's gonna mess up?" said Yu, wanting to see if he would do a bet.

"Nah!" said the other Strikers in unison, knowing the obvious.

The group waited until the girls left Roland alone. They watched their facial expressions, indicating that they didn't want to do anything with him.

"Looks like it didn't work." Michelle grinned, running her hand on her ponytail before sticking her tongue work at him.

"Ah, whatever." Roland simply waved his hand at them, telling them to buzz off.

"Hey," grinned Yu. "You can always try again in the near future when we're together again for another mission."

Roland glared at the Japanese Striker, not saying anything to him in return.

"It's lunchtime now." Wesley pointed at his watch. "Why don't we get something to eat first?"

* * *

Penthouse, The Atrium, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China 

It was late in the afternoon since Margaret paid Mark a visit in his ARCAM-paid penthouse suite in The Atrium; the teenaged Striker decided to stare at the traffic down via window, which overlooks a portion of the Admiralty area.

_What now? Despite that massive shootout that took place in Central, which was cleared off in a few days, we still have no idea where Trident has their facility even if we had 2 areas that intelligence is looking at right now._

Walking back to the sofa, he decided to watch a bit of TV as he was a bit bored for a lack of action until intelligence could really confirm the exact location of the obscure Trident facility where the prototype Armored Machine Suits are currently based and tested. Mark went to do a bit of channel surfing so as to relax himself for a bit.

_If Trident does have some suits ready, I could nick one for myself since their suits are a lot more agile than ours, though it can still handle a rocket attack on the suit if someone is bold enough to use an RPG-16 against me for instance._

Running his hand on his short black hair, Mark suddenly remembered something that Margaret told him before she left.

_Margaret mentioned that she's inviting me to her apartment downstairs later on. Wonder what she can cook up for dinner? Better leave a note to bro and the others to get some take out, maybe pizza or some local Cantonese food. Bro does like the latter more than the former, or maybe he'll take both for once.  
_

* * *

Larry Markson's Office, Takasumi Zaibatsu USA, Los Angeles, California, United States 

Seated in his personal office, Rally Markson was fortunate enough to have offices ready for him in most of the Takasumi Zaibatsu, Clovers Heavy Industries and Campbell Company branches in countries from Europe to Africa, Asia and North America as it was needed for his legal cover as an executive, though his real occupation is the head of Trident and a liason between the group and the three corporations that have founded and funded Trident.

"Hmm?" Larry heard a call from his phone on his desk, ringing hard. He took the handle and spoke to the other party. "Wonder who it is?"

**"Mr. Markson?"  
**

**"Yes?" **Larry rubbed his left eye, feeling a bit itchy.

**"I have some developments for you from Hong Kong."**

**"It better be good, Lawrence. Otherwise, I'll ask the phone bill company in Hong Kong to charge you for wasting valuable time in international long distance."**

**"Of course." **assured Lawrence, speaking to the head of the Trident Corporation from the other line. **"The Security Bureau had recently concluded a meeting a while ago, chaired by Regina Ip."**

**"And?"**

**"It's okay, Larry. They don't have evidence against us, but they did step up security in the Central area. Recently a lot of police officers conducting foot and vehicle patrols."**

**"All right." **Larry sighed. **"Keep me posted if new developments will come here."**

**"Sure."**

Larry replaced the handset back at the cradle, wondering what could go wrong next.

_I just hope that Lawrence can fix things in Hong Kong for now..._**  
**

Chapter 8 END

Notes/Terms:

CNN - Known as the Cable News Network. Founded by Ted Turner and has a worldwide audience as it has established itself on all 6 continents.

Regina Ip - Full name is Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee. She became known in the local and world media for trying to pass Article 23, official name Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which calls for the Hong Kong security forces to prevent anyone or any group from creating any subversive movements or actions against the Chinese government by using Hong Kong as a safe haven. Basically, an anti-political law. Folks from Catholic groups in Hong Kong to countries like Canada and Australia voiced outrage at her for trying to implement the pre-planned law. It was then shelved temporarily.

Also, she is also mocked at by local media for her bushy hair. She was known as Broomhead for a short time before changing her hairstyle, though at first she wouldn't do so in order to please her critics. She is currently planning a campaign to be the next Hong Kong Chief Executive. Also, Regina Ip is a PhD student of the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University.

Another thing is she has a boasting similarity to the woman in the New Option TV series starring Michael Wong. acting as the chief. I almost swore that the two were related, maybe even the woman herself. ;p

Security Bureau (Hong Kong) - Responsible for police and firefighting duties in the Hong Kong territories. Kinda like an Interior Ministry, Department of Interior and Home Ministry for most countries. As of 2006, Ambrose Lee is the Secretary for Security.

The Atrium - An apartment-style hotel based in the Pacific Place complex in Admiralty. Has floors from the 39th to the 50th with some penthouse suites as it operates in unison with the JW Marriott Hotel in the same building, meaning that they can share the same facilities. I heard that they have a different entrance aside from the Marriott's, so that's kinda cool. Kinda like the Oakwood apartments that we got in the Makati area in the Philippines as it operates under a similar manner, except that we've got no hotel built near or in the building used. Go figure.


	9. Contingent Plans

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

As the Trident Corporation prepares to move to further testing on their prototype Armored Machine Suits after their initial skirmish with ARCAM's Strikers in Central, ARCAM's Striker agents are preparing to move in against the organization by making preparations to raid a Trident-owned warehouse in the outskirts of Kowloon's urban cities and towns, their one and only chance to secure the prototype Armored Machine Suits and to give them a severe blow from operating in Hong Kong. What will the Strikers do next? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 9: Contingent Plans

Conference Room, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

All the Strikers were recalled to a meeting inside ARCAM Hong Kong's office, a few days after receiving separate message from Yeo Ching Hua that ARCAM intelligence regarding some dirt on Trident's location to where their prototype Armored Machine Suits were hidden. Things were pretty good for the Strikers; they could move on them soon.

"So the secret Trident facility is right there?" Yu wanted to make sure that he was hearing what Yeo had debriefed the Strikers minutes ago. "Is the info final, sir?"

"I'm sure of it." Yeo adjusted his glasses and his necktie. "ARCAM satellite imagery has already confirmed the location of Trident's hidden facility." Working on the projected image of the compound on a projector screen, Yeo explained to the assembled Strikers on their course of action.

"According to intelligence, this compound is located in the Kowloon area." Gasps were heard from the assembled group after hearing this. "In addition, the complex is legally owned jointly by the Hong Kong branches of Clovers Heavy Industries and Takasumi Zaibatsu."

"Very smart." Tudor commented. "Smart indeed. I have to give them credit."

"Trident sure is getting sneakier and sneakier by the days and years." added Miguel in support of the Romanian Striker.

The image showed the complex to have a rectangular shape with chain link fences surrounding its perimeter. A large warehouse was in the center with a medium-sized building on the warehouse's left side. The image also showed the location of armed guards, indicated by a light red circle as the image was taken at night.

"So what?" quipped Jean, looking at the image. "We don't even have a solid plan to take the place down and locate the supposed prototype suits."

"I'm sure that intelligence has a suggested plan." answered Mark, looking at the security chief. "Right, sir?"

"Yes, of course." nodded Yeo. "They're working on some suggestions to get into the facility and checking on the status of the suits."

"Hopefully." said John, running his hand on his black hair. "When do we move in?"

"If estimates are in place," replied the security chief. "You'll all raid the complex by tomorrow night."

"I hope you're right about that, sir." commented Patrick, yawning since he was a bit tired.

* * *

Conference Room, Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong, Wing On House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Inside the conference room, Iwao Akatsuki and the other Trident secret agents had the place to themselves to discuss about their upcoming operation. Lawrence Soong had to attend a meeting with representatives from the Clovers Heavy Industries and Campbell Company Hong Kong branches, without disclosing what the meeting was about.

"Hey guys." began Iwao, smirking. "Received some info from the higher ups that we're scheduled to move out tomorrow morning to the complex in Kowloon."

"You mean the one near the mountains?" asked Hedgehog, lying down on the couch, apparently tired.

"That is the one." responded Iwao while Hedgehog checked on his needle gun attachment placed on his right arm.

"Probably a sure sign that Trident's going to secure its assets in Hong Kong to prevent the Strikers from moving in on us." suggested Larry.

"So what happens to us then?" asked Jack, who was seated on one of the chairs near the long table, propping his legs up. "We've got absolutely nothing to do unless ARCAM plans a retaliation attack on the building, which is suicide."

"Same thing with us if we're the ones going to launch the raid on their place." explained Iwao, scratching his chin.

"Besides, why is Larry approving this?" questioned Jack, a bit confused at the state of events. "Why can't we send those brianwashed kids with us?"

"'Cause we can't." insisted Hedgehog, snarling a bit. "You should listen to the orders given out when they are given out."

"Fine." huffed Sidewinder.

"Cheer up, big guy. I heard that good old Lawrence would probably request reinforcements."

The news had sounded good; it only made the half-cyborg Trident agent place a devilish grin on his face.

"I don't know about using those kiddies." Iwao seemed a bit against it. "Those guys, even though brainwashed, give me the creeps."

"I agree." Jack frowned while he drew out his left Omihalcon blade from his left prosthetic arm, being sure that he didn't decapitate any of his comrades. "I doubt Larry has any sympathy for those teenagers. I feel sorry for them, but that's the life of being involved in black ops. I'm sure those blasted Strikers feel the same thing."

"Yes, of course." Hedgehog fixed his glasses. "Especially that Mark character. Though he's driven by the urge to kill enemies whenever he can, he seems to be driven between whether to kill a helpless enemy or not."

* * *

Larry Markson's Office, Takasumi Zaibatsu USA, Los Angeles, California, USA

Still in his office, Larry was still speaking to the secretary regarding a meeting scheduled to be done with representatives from the American officials of Clovers Heavy Industries and the Campbell Company when he noted that he had received an e-mail on his computer.

"If you would excuse me," said Larry, starting to get to work on his computer. "I have business to attend to. So can you tell anyone looking for me that I'll be busy inside my office for a while.

"Yes, Mr. Markson." The secretary excused herself and left his office, being mindful to close his door.

Booting his Hotmail e-mail, he noted that the e-mail address sent to him came from the office e-mail account in Takasumi Zaibatsu's Hong Kong branch.

_Wonder what this has to do with me? _Larry began to read the contents, much to his delight.

**"Larry****, I've taken care of sending Akatsuki and the other Trident agents to the warehouse in Kowloon as part of the security arrangements that I've made with the security chiefs from Clovers, Campbell and Takasumi. We received words that ARCAM may stage an attack anytime soon."**

Larry grinned after reading the e-mail sent to him by Lawrence. He knew that the Strikers would be held back...

* * *

Penthouse, The Atrium, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Damn!" Mark sneezed before grabbing the TV remote. _Wonder if someone's talking about me..._

Watching some TV in the living room, Mark was glued to the CNN news report regarding the incident back in Central while his brother was dozing off in his room. It was a Monday now, they had school back in Manila, but they can't leave yet until they were able to raid the compound tonight.

**"As a gesture to assist the Hong Kong SAR government in rebuilding parts of Central damaged in a gunfight days ago, Campbell Company, Takasumi Zaibatsu and the Clovers Heavy Industries have given an unspecified amount of money in order to finance the reconstruction of the area as parts of it were not cleared out of damage done by the still unidentified parties. As a matter of fact, Hong Kong Police investigators were still not able to identify the affiliations of the dead gunmen, though they were believed to be hired freelancers."**

"Not surprising." chuckled Mark, drinking his glass of water. "Trident may have done it to distract any attention to them."

**"ARCAM has also pledged to assist the Hong Kong SAR in financing the final phase of reconstruction back in Central by donating an unspecified amount of money as well. Like what the Campbell Company, Takasumi Zaibatsu and the Clovers Heavy Industries did, ARCAM representatives were not available to comment on how much they were willing to contribute too."**

"Another score for the board of directors." grinned Mark, raising his glass to salute his comrades in ARCAM before downing the rest of his water.

"What's up?" Michael strolled in, wearing his white shirt and black shorts, getting up from his sleep.

"News mentioned that Trident and ARCAM are making the contributions by providing the money for the reconstruction efforts in Central."

"I see." Michael rubbed his eyes. "It's a shame that we have to do our shootout there. Nice place. Why can't we do it in Kowloon or maybe the New Territories?"

"I don't think we can decide that part." sighed Mark. "But we do have to prepare for the upcoming attack tonight."

"What do we do until then, bro?" asked Michael, heading to the kitchen to start his breakfast.

Suddenly, the phone inside the penthouse rang. Remembering that his brother was busy in the kitchen, he lifted his feet and answered the phone. After listening to the caller for a few minutes, he replaced the phone back at the cradle and called his brother.

"Hey, Michael!"

"Yea? Something up?"

"Get dressed when you're done eating. A meeting's coming up with Mr. Yeo."

* * *

Yeo Ching Hua's Office, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

Yu Ominae had assembled the other Strikers inside the security chief's office. Though it was an ordinary office, the working area was big enough to accomdate all the Strikers, with the exception of the Sy brothers as they were on the way.

"It's 2 minutes since all of you were here." Yeo stared at his Rolex watch. "Wonder if they'll be late."

"Sorry we're late, Mr. Yeo."

Mark was the first one to enter the room, followed by Michael. After Yeo and the other Strikers were able to acknowledge their presence, Michael closed the door to Yeo's office shut while the other Strikers began to sit down at the various sofas and chairs around the office.

"I'm glad that all of you were able to make it to this urgent meeting." began Yeo, thanking the Strikers assembled inside. "It's very important that you're all here since I have to tell you about the..."

"Just get to the point, old man." All the Strikers stared at Jean, wondering if he said the right words. "Cut to the chase." The Hong Kong security chief chuckled a bit.

"Feisty aren't we, Jean?" Pretending that he didn't hear anything from the French Striker operative, he began to debrief them on the latest intelligence regarding Trident complex in Kowloon. Jean simply raised his eyebrow at the ARCAM Hong Kong security chief before he decided to mind his own business and listen to the important debriefing. Otherwise, he would have been back in Central or Wan Chai to have a look around.

"I've received some credible information from intelligence regarding the complex that you're about to raid." Yeo cleared his throat before he began to narrate the information to the teenage operatives. "According to recent findings, the location is in the rural area of Kowloon, away from the bustling cities in the island."

"A perfect location." commented Tudor. "That way, the HKPD and the Security Bureau wouldn't be too nosy in case Trident has some secret tests to conduct."

"Correct." noted Yeo, continuing his debriefing. "The complex is believed to be nested in the area near the No. 12 Hill, far away from any sign of civilized life."

"You mean in the forests?" Yu raised an eyebrow on hearing his report.

"I'm afraid so, Yu." Yeo replied. "It's also a blessing for us since we can get to the area and raid the place before Hong Kong Police would be able to mobilize more SDU operators."

"Very true." said Michelle. In recent reports, Hong Kong media has noted that many of the SDU operators who were wounded by many of Trident's mercenary forces were back on active duty. According to the media outles, many have expressed rage and revenge at the Trident agents, especially to Hedgehog for he was responsible for downing their chopper transport.

"But we'll have a problem with the PLA!" refuted Wesley. "I mean, they have a garrison near our target location!"

"Remember Hong Kong's Basic Law, Wes." assured Michael, sighing at the South Korean's problem on the possibility of being caught and exposed.

"Yea," said Roland in support. "any PLA forces can't act in Hong Kong territory unless they have the consent of the Chief Executive."

"Legally." countered Yu. "But that won't stop the PLA forces in the island from staging any black ops operation against us or Trident in case they got the urge to do so."

"You all have valid points there." Yeo said, agreeing with their concerns. "In that case, we better be careful later tonight."

"How will we know if the PLA decides to play dirty with us?" asked Mark, a bit concerned too. "That's another gray area that we have to look into."

"Don't worry about that." Yeo raised a hand, assuring his concerns. "We've got some people in the PLA garrison and barracks working for us as well. They'll alert us if they're secretly about to move."

"That's a relief." Jean said, facial expression unchanging. _Still, I don't mind facing those garrisoned PLA fools..._

Suddenly, loud noises were heard from outside the security chief's room. Yu and some of the other Strikers heard a girl's voice from the outside, wondering who it was.

"Who the hell is that?" wondered Roland, curious about the unknown noises made outside. The door then opened, revealing the mysterious guest.

"Surprise, everyone!"

All of the people inside the office were stunned to see who it was. It was a young girl, probably 15-16 years of age, wearing a tuquee and a jacket with military-style boots on.

"Yoshino Somei." sighed Jean, bringing his right hand to slap his face. _Of all the troubles that we Strikers get, why her?_

"Hey guys." The teenaged mercenary smiled at the Strikers.

"What's she doing here?" questioned Michelle, not trusting the mercenary's presence after she had participated in some missions with her help.

"Why are you here, Yoshino?" Mark twitched his eyebrow. "Last time we saw you was back in Phantom Island."

"I know." waved the girl. "I'm here just to help you guys."

"A likely story." Tudor shook his hand, not believing her reason why she was in the office building right now in the middle of a secret meeting.

"And why is that, Ms. Necromancer?" quipped Yu, not liking her mysterious appearance.

_Time to play my cards right here. _Yoshino had a sudden big grin on her face. "That's because I heard that you're all planning to raid a Trident-owned warehouse in Kowloon."

Miguel frowned at her, "And your point is?"

Yoshino gave a smile. "It just so happens that I have some critical information that could be useful."

"Yeah?" Patrick kept his eyes on her carefully. "And just what kind of information that could be useful for our mission tonight, Yoshino?"

"Oh, I don't know." The Japanese teenage mercenary pretended to think over Patrick's question. "Maybe something that you can use to raid the warehouse without being caught?"

"Why you..." Patrick was about to punch her when Yu placed his hand over Yoshino's face, blocking the blow.

"Dammit, Ominae!" snarled the Chinese-Filipino Striker.

"Hey!" shouted Gerald, snapping at his comrade. "This isn't the time to slug someone! We've got better things to do instead of doing a martial arts scene here."

"He's right." Yeo brought the situation under control with his authority. "We may not like Ms. Somei's unauthorized access to ARCAM's Hong Kong office, but she may have some ideas that we can use."

"Told ya!" Yoshino stuck her tongue out at the Strikers. While drifting her eyes to Mark, she gave a cute wink to him. Riza and Michelle, seeing the gesture, felt a bit jealous even if they treated Mark as a comrade and a friend.

"You have 10 precious seconds, Yoshino Somei." Mark, twitching his left eyebrow, reached into the interior of his jacket to grab his Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol. The female mercenary began to shake her legs in fear, though she didn't show it since she was trained for situations like this.

But not for a situation that may end in bloodshed due to Yoshino's unannounced arrivals in getting access to ARCAM's properties.

"Holy shit!" muttered Yu, seeing his friend ticked off.

"To get out of this office before I decide to unload some bullets..." Mark then exposed the grip of his pistol from his jacket and was about to remove the safety when Yu and Michael struggled with him, followed by Jean, Patrick and Gerald, so as to prevent any bloodshed when they pinned him down on the ground.

"I suggest you leave." advised Riza, with venom in her voice. "I may not agree with Mark's way on handling certain things, but your unannounced presence may give us a bit of trouble later on."

Listening to her suggestion, Yoshino quietly stepped out before the Strikers were able to restrain Mark from doing something with his pistol.

* * *

Research & Development Office, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

With the meeting over, most of the Strikers once again did their thing by shopping in Pacific Place. Unfortunately, they had to drag Yoshino along as a means on making sure that she wouldn't babble anything that she heard from the meeting inside Mr. Yeo's office.

Mark, deciding to cool off, walked around when Professor Mayzel wanted to speak with him inside his office.

_If I didn't have the help of the others to cool myself off, I would have shot Yoshino by mistake. Though she does show herself unannounced during various ARCAM missions, I have to admit that she's still pretty useful to help us. Maybe she could be useful tonight._

"So what's up?" Mark noted that Ms. Margaret wasn't around; he assumed that she took some time off for lunch.

"I heard that you're going to lead the mission tonight in Kowloon." The scientist grinned, making the veteran Striker wonder if guarding Yoshino with the others was a better idea.

"And so?"

Mayzel cleaned his glasses and replaced them back on his nosebridge before he replied,

"See if you can bring back a good prototype Armored Machine Suit from the raid later on tonight, Mark. That's my only request to you."

The Chinese-Filipino Striker scratched his head, "Um, sure thing, prof. But what for?"

"I need to see what the main differences do the prototype suits have with the ones being produced by Trident."

"You mean," Mark seemed to understand what Mayzel wanted him to do. "you want me to snitch a free suit for you so's we can counter them in the near future?"

Mayzel nodded.

"I see." Mark nodded, accepting his request. "I'll see what I can do, Professor. But I may or may not guarantee my sucess of doing so. Trident may destroy them."

Professor Mayzel chuckled. "Currently, you would need Omihalcon-made items to destroy another Omihalcon-made item. Think of it like a diamond."

"I know that." Mark answered. "But I'll try to make sure that I can get at least one unused prototype Armored Machine Suit from the warehouse tonight."

"That would be good." The professor smiled at him.

Chapter 9 END

Notes/Terms:

Chief Executive - Head of state in Hong Kong and Macau SAR territories. Though China has a say in its foreign and defense matters, the Chief Executives can also have a say in Hong Kong's local and international affairs. In short, a semi-de facto sort of president or prime minister. Current CE in Hong Kong is Donald Tsang and the first/current CE in Macau is Edmund Ho Hau Wah, who was elected twice in 1999 and 2004.

The term also refers to legitimate heads of state as well.

Hong Kong Basic Law - Laws made for Hong Kong before and after its return to China. Among the laws included are the 50 year term that China can't intervene in Hong Kong matters by applying socialist laws and policies since capitalist laws had been in place. In addition, all PLA soldiers stationed anywhere in Hong Kong can't interfere except if the Chief Executive requests their presence in handling matters that the HKPD may not be able to handle, such as assisting the HKSAR government in natural disaster and rescue operations.

Phantom Island - An island located east of the Philippines and south of Japan near the Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean, it does not exist in any maps since the island has been bounded by a sort of space continuum pattern that makes the island disappear for a few years and reappear. It seemed that from the wreckage of Spanish galleons to Japanese and American WWII planes that many who have landed on the island by accident or by bad luck usually did not have the chance to get off the place as it disappears after it appears in the Pacific Ocean after a few days, meaning that they would be dead in the space-time continuum.

PLA - People's Liberation Army. The official name of the Chinese military. In Hong Kong, PLA soldiers are stationed at their barracks at Stonecutters Island and Chek Chu. In addition, they have a presence at Central with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building, or simply known as Central Barracks. The locals still call the area the Prince of Wales Building.

Even if the PLA's Hong Kong Garrison was greeted with friendly faces and cheerful smiles, not all Hong Kong residents look at them with ease. Like the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) government in Beijing, most look at the PLA garrisons in the island with much suspicion after the 1997 handover.

Sakura Himeno - Alias of our lovely kiddie mercenary, Yoshino Somei, whenever she assumes the legend of a young elemetary school student. Only Yu Ominae (In the manga series) was able to identify her, nearly exposing her true identity after returning to Japan from the former Forest of No Return in India. Yoshino was able to keep her legend after assuring her classmates on who she was.

Why can't we send those brianwashed kids with us? - A reference to the COSMOS unit of the US military. In the middle of Spriggan, they were purchased by Larry, who did it on behalf of Trident. COSMOS was integrated into its military wing as its special forces unit and its soldiers were decked with Trident insignia and were given Armored Machine Suits that Trident produced and trained them to use dual combat knives in melee combat, making them as twice as deadly when they were under the command of the US Army.

Also, COSMOS is a covert infantry unit consisting of brainwashed child soldiers kidnapped from around the world by the US Army and by the CIA.


	10. Raid

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

With both ARCAM and Trident forces massively preparing for a strike on the latter's warehouse on the outskirts of Kowloon on Number 12 Hill, the heat of the battle is about to focus on Kowloon Island in Hong Kong without the notice of the general population. Who will win this upcoming raid? Can the Strikers come back alive? Will the prototype Armored Machine Suits be secured in time? Time will only tell. Stay to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 10: Raid

Cabin, ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27, en route to Number 12 Hill

"All right. We should be near the target area."

The chopper pilot had informed Mark and some of the Strikers on the way to the target area. He noted that two of the Strikers went ahead to make some preparations for the upcoming raid after leaving the ARCAM Hong Kong office at 6 in the evening.

"Right." Mark, Yu, Patrick and Miguel loaded and checked their weapons. All of them were fully decked in ARCAM Armored Muscle Suits, ready for combat.

_Jean, John, Riza and bro went ahead of us. _thought Mark, remembering that Michelle, Gerald, Roland, Wesley and Tudor had stayed behind in Hong Kong in order to secure the ARCAM Hong Kong office in case of a surprise attack. They were told that the others would follow once the area around the Trident warehouse was secured.

"Say, what's the plan again?" asked Patrick, loading his Norinco QBZ-97 assault rifle.

"Weren't you listening?" asked Mark, frowning at his Chinese-Filipino comrade while loading his Howa Type 89-F rifle. "First things first, the others should be at the site, making plans to raid the area."

"John's gonna take out the perimeter security. Then, Jean and some of the others are gonna create a distraction for the rest of us to go in, raid the place, secure the suits and get extracted out as soon as possible." began Yu, while loading his Heckler and Koch G3A4.

"They'll tell us the rest of their plans." Miguel had loaded a 30-round magazine on his Ruger AC-556 assault rifle and chambered a round inside the rifle's barrel.

Mark was motioned by the co-pilot to come near him, with some news. Minutes later, the chopper was hovering over a piece of land nearby.

"All right!" Mark had donned his black balaclava and the black Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFES) beret on with his Marom Dolphin IDF Recon Vest. He did not have any camo uniform on due to the time that they had to launch the raid. "We're here."

Yu opened the chopper's door and leapt out, followed by Mark, Patrick and Miguel.

The four were ready to conduct their mission in the heartland of Hong Kong.

* * *

Near the outskirts of Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"There they are." Jean, John, Riza and Michael were waiting for them in a designated spot near the warehouse via dirt road. The four Strikers were standing near the same vehicles that they used to escape from Central.

"The police vehicles are still here?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you guys drove it all the way to Kowloon, you need to pass the toll..."

"Boss Yeo arranged transport to bring these guys here." insisted John. "He used some transport truck to bring them here."

"You mean like the ones in the harbor?" asked Yu. Riza nodded, "Yep. We have a plan for these guys. Though HKPD radio transmissions that we tapped did call out a search for them."

"So what does this plan of ours involve?" asked Miguel, a bit confused by what has transpired in their conversation.

"You'll see." Jean said, giving a sneaky grin to Yu and the other Strikers who arrived.

* * *

Moments later, the same ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27 chopper dropped off Michelle, Gerald, Roland, Wesley and Tudor, all decked in ARCAM Armored Muscle Suits with Yoshino Somei in tow. Decked in the same clothes, she was armed with a GIAT FAMAS F1 assault rifle and had ALICE web gear on.

"Hey." grinned Patrick, trying to play smooth with Yoshino. "Are you sure that a girl like you should have a rifle like that?"

Yoshino, without any word, kicked him near his crotch, bringing him in temporary pain.

"Forget what I said." wheezed Patrick, trying to alleviate the pain. _Good thing the suit minimizes the damage. Should be over soon or I couldn't help procreate._

"Enough, Yoshino." gritted Mark, handling his Howa Type 89-F. "Okay, listen up. John and Riza will scout ahead and take out the perimeter security from the outside of the warehouse." began the masked Striker, debriefing everyone again on the planned assault.

"Jean and Wesley will be with the vehicles and cause the diversion, though they won't tell me what kind of diversion it is." All eyes turned to Jean and Wesley; the two masked their intentions by either whistling to themselves or checking their watches.

"Okay..." trailed Mark, not wanting to know what they have in mind. "Anyway, Yoshino here will tag along with us and will lead the initial assault in taking out the Trident commandos guarding the area."

"Heyas." Yoshino waved her arm up to let them know that she'll participate in the operation. "I was the one who suggested the diversion part and the sniper part."

"Figures." mumbled John. The Kenyan Striker cradled his Technical Equipment International (TEI) M89SR sniper rifle with the Stinger Generation 3 Night Vision Scope attached on its scope mount.

"Okay." Mark unfurled his Armored Muscle Suit sleeve, revealing his Panerai Luminor Submersible Watch. "Make sure that the time's synchronized for 7 PM." _Better make sure it's not busted or mom's gonna have a fit with me._

"Right." The other Strikers unfurled their sleeves and revealed their watches.

"Let's go!" Mark went up a nearby hill with the others. Jean and Wesley, meanwhile, went inside the parked 2000 Land Rover Discovery HKPD EOD SUV and the 2000 Isuzu Trooper HKPD SUV to begin their next course of action.

* * *

Hill, Near outskirts of Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Right." John flipped up the attached bipod of his M89SR in a nearby spot looking at the main entrance and surroundings of the warehouse with Riza nearby, guarding him with her GIAT FAMAS G2 rifle.

"Can you get a shot?" asked the Hong Kong-born Striker, making sure that the coast was clear after they were able to find a good sniping spot.

"Yeah." replied John, using the Stinger Generation 3 scope on the M89. "Whoa. Lots of Trident guards around."

"Do we take some shots now?" asked Riza, wanting to clarify on the situation.

"Not until Jean and Wesley are gonna start the distraction." John used the scope to check on the guardhouse, which was manned by a single Trident guard.

* * *

Dirt Road, en route to Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Looks like we're here." Driving the Isuzu Trooper, Jean got on the radio and radioed for Wesley, driving the Land Rover Discovery. **"Hey, you ready for this?"**

**"Hell yeah!" **replied Wesley. **"They'll get a big bang out of the surprise that we've got for the distraction."**

**"Then, let's give our Trident friends a welcome present from us."**

**"Count on it."  
**

* * *

Somewhere near the Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"They should be near now." Mark was at a pre-designated spot near the left side of the warehouse, which was a good place to hide thanks to low security near the area since it was dark enough to conceal them using the night light. Also, they were able to get a good look near the entrance.

"I think I hear some cars running." Yu said, using his ears. His face suddenly turned into a frown. "And I think they're coming up fast."

"What's Jean up to?" Roland frowned, seeing the two hijacked HKPD vehicles driving straight to the entrance of the compound, crashing on the chain link gate.

"I hope they know what they're doing." sighed Michael, getting his Bushmaster M17S assault rifle ready.

"Everyone." Mark had his Howa Type 89-F assault rifle on the ready. "To your positions."

* * *

Hill, Near outskirts of Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"I see the two SUVs coming." murmured Riza, not believing what she saw until Riza noted Jean and Wesley jumping out of the two vehicles while they were in motion, crashing into the chain link fence simultaneously.

"Wonder what they got up their sleeves?" wondered John, keeping his right index finger near the M89's trigger. Spotting the lone guard inside the guardhouse was about to call for some help, John took aim and shot the guard with a single 7.62 NATO bullet aimed at his head. With the addition of a Brugger & Thomet Rotex-III .308 caliber silencer, the shot went unnoticed as the bullet penetrated the glass and the center of the guard's head in one hit.

"Nice one." grinned John, giving a wolf whistle. He watched several armed Trident commandos heading towards the main entrance when the Isuzu Trooper was engulfed in an explosion, killing most of the responding commandos. The Land Rover Discovery, from some distance away from the burning Trooper, was also blown up in a ball of fire. The two explosions then caused some chain link fences to fall on the ground.

"Jean and Wesley are getting in." whispered Riza, watching the two fire their weapons; Jean's Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun and Wesley's ADI F88 assault rifle, at various Trident commandos.

"Better give them a hand." John went in to assist the two, firing his M89 sniper rifle at approaching Trident forces.

"Will you be okay?" asked Riza, not wanting to leave her friend behind.

"Trust me." John gave her a thumbs up. "I'll be fine."

With that, Riza ran towards the warehouse perimeter by charging near the gap that the former chain link fences were thanks to the rigged explosives in the hijacked police SUVs and fired her GIAT FAMAS G2 at a Trident commando who had his back in front of her, as he was firing at Jean.

* * *

Outskirts of Trident Compound, West Area, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Come on!"

Michael, after covertly cutting a big hole in the chain link fence, was the first to get inside when four Trident commandos armed with Heckler and Koch MP5A4 submachine guns spotted Yoshino and the others entering the compound. Frustrated that they were spotted, Michael decided to turn the odds in their favor by unloading his Bushmaster M17S at the commandos. Yoshino joined in with her GIAT FAMAS F1.

"Yu, let's go!" Seeing an opportunity to raid the building nearby, Mark motioned to Yu, Roland, Gerald and Miguel to head inside the building with him while the others would hold off the advancing Trident forces.

After the four Strikers were ahead, a semi-explosion sound was heard nearby. Some of the Strikers, already engaging their opponents in small arms and martial arts, saw Tridents agents already charging at them.

_Great! Iwao, Jack and Hedgehog are here! _gritted Michael, gunning down a Trident trooper armed with a Colt M4A1 assault rifle and drew out his Sheffield Israeli Commando knife and charged at Jack, who fired his steel dart heads from the knuckles of his prosthetic hand on his cybernetic arm.

"Miss me, cyborg!" Though Michael felt a dart head hit his chest, it didn't penetrate it thanks to his Armored Muscle Suit, which was meant to protect the user from small arms to melee weapons and projectiles. He initially covered his head with his hands, holding his knife on his clenched left hand before lunging his knife at Jack.

Jack threw in several smoke grenades to mask his escape.

Michelle and Tudor engaged Hedgehog in a gun battle involving their weapons against his needle gun after removing his right hand. Michelle fired her IZHMASH AK-101 assault rifle at Hedgehog, but the blonde Trident operator dodged them and used his needle bullets to retaliate.

Tudor, on the other hand, fired his Vektor SS-77 GPMG at Iwao, who fired from the engine block of a Mercedes-Benz Actros truck. The Romanian Striker found cover behind some steel shipping container boxes, peeking out only to fire at him. A group of Trident commandos rushed out to assist Iwao by wildly firing their Steyr AUG A1 and GIAT FAMAS G2 assault rifles at hand. Noting that they were in the open, Tudor peeked out of cover and emptied the rest of the SS-77 magazine at them. He only stopped firing when the last man was gunned down and a click sound was heard. Iwao saw this and prepared to fire at him from cover when Tudor disappeared, hiding someplace to reload.

Patrick, seeing the Japanese Trident agent, took aim with his Norinco QBZ-97 assault rifle at him. Forcing him back on cover, he didn't notice a commando drawing out his Black KA-BAR Fighter when at instinct, turned around and drew out his Czeska Zbroevka - Uhersky Brod (CZ-UB) 100 pistol and quickly killed him with a few shots on his hand. Then, he ducked nearby a stack of shipping containers after hearing Iwao reloading his magazine. He was lucky that a bullet grazed him as he ran to cover, only if he didn't have his Armored Muscle Suit on.

* * *

Main Floor, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Hey you!"

Two Trident guards were about to draw out their Glock 17 pistols when Yu instantly shot them with his Heckler and Koch G3A4 assault rifle.

"Strange." mused Miguel. "Doesn't seem that they're not that much opposition to encounter."

"Maybe it's a trap later on after we get the goods out of here." suggested Roland, eyes not at ease while his ears recorded the sounds of gunfire and explosions from outside the building.

"Either way, let's split up." ordered Mark, deciding to save their time in searching the entire building. "Me and Yu will head to the East Wing of the building, you guys take the left side."

The sounds of footsteps approaching the lobby was a bit bothersome to the Strikers when some Trident commandos were heavily armed with mostly Colt, GIAT and Steyr assault rifle with various Heckler and Koch submachine guns.

"Damn!" Mark raised his Howa Type 89-F, ready to open fire. "Looks like we'll be in here for a bit."

* * *

Larry Markson's Office, Takasumi Zaibatsu USA, Los Angeles, California, United States

**"Are you sure about this, Lawrence?"**

**"Quite positive, Larry." **Larry had heard the man's voice, insisting to him on the situation. **"The Strikers are currently attacking the warehouse in Kowloon. I need those blasted reinforcements right now!"**

Larry sighed, knowing that he didn't want ARCAM to get their hands on the prototype machine suits. **"Let them know that they can be deployed."**

Lawrence was a bit joyful that his request for backup was accepted, **"Thank you, Larry."  
**

* * *

Lawrence Soong's Office, Takasumi Zaibatsu Hong Kong, Wing On House, Central, Hong Kong SAR, China

Lawrence, on a secure line, spoke to an unknown caller on the other line of his desk phone. He only gave out one order.

**"Send in COSMOS!"  
**

* * *

Hallway, East Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Clear." Mark and Yu peered around the hallway that they entered, checking left and right with the barrels of their rifles to see if any hostile element was spotted.

"We should be clear." said Yu, just before another group of Trident soldiers came marching in from another part of the wide hallway, prepping their weapons to fire.

"Dammit!" Mark fired his Howa Type 89-F and gunned down some Trident commandos using the rifle's single shot mode to conserve bullets.

"I think they're trying to hold us off." Yu, on the other hand, went wild with his Heckler and Koch G3A3 and decided to mop up the area before searching the east wing of the building.

* * *

Office Room, West Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Clear?"

"Clear!"

Roland, armed with his IMBEL M964 assault rifle, and Miguel, armed with his Ruger AC-556 assault rifle, searched the deserted office after engaging a group of Trident commandos back at the hallway behind them a few minutes ago. Aiming their weapons at every crank and nook of the blood-filled hallway, the area had seemed to be under control when a loud sound was heard in the room.

_Wonder who did that? _Miguel raised an eyebrow, alarmed and surprised by the sound.

"You heard that?" Roland carefully held his rifle, ready to fire it at all times.

"Yea. I wonder who it is?" answered Miguel, using his eyes to search the deserted room.

The door of the office's west side was smashed open, seeing that the two Strikers had entered the room from the south. Who they saw brought sweat down their foreheads.

"Hello ladies!"

Jack the Ripper gave an evil smile when he emerged from the smoke that came from the busted door, raising his arms to cover his face in an X position.

"Wanna play with me?"

His Omihalcon blades then were flicked out from his prosthetic arms, ready for battle.

"Hey! How the hell did he show up?!"

* * *

Cabin, Trident Sikorsky S-70-27, en route to Number 12 Hill

A group of around 4-5 Trident Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers were now nearing the besieged Trident compound in the rural area of Kowloon Island, away from its bustling cities. Moving into the area in a squad formation, its occupants were aware of what was happening inside the Trident compound.

Inside the cabins of the Trident Sikorsky S-70-27s, it was mostly filled with young male teenagers of various nationalities. They were donned in olive green BDUs, olive green berets and ALICE web gear strapped on their bodies. Armed with Colt M4A1 assault rifles, Heckler and Koch MP5SD6 submachine guns, Mossberg 500 "Cruiser" shotguns and Glock 17 pistols, they were ready for the battle ahead.

A former black ops unit of the US Army, its members are mostly brainwashed youths kidnapped by the CIA from various countries and secretly sent to foreign countries in order to do the _dirty work_ of the US Military in sensitive areas such as assassinations, kidnappings and exfiltration of important objectives that they do not legally want the public to know.

_All COSMOS soldiers, prepare for rappelling operations. I repeat, prepare for rappelling operations.  
_

It was the psychic orders given to them by Sho Kanaya, aka Number 0, Japanese COSMOS trooper who is communicating to his fellow troopers with telepathy thanks to the implanted computer chip made with Omihalcon. All of them nodded to Sho's order, not in person, but in response to his telepathic commands. The COSMOS troopers inside the choppers had emotionless looks in their faces; they were trained since their days in US Military control to kill their opponents and their targets without any mercy.

"All right!" yelled the first Trident Sikorsky S-70-27 pilot. "We're here! Get ready to rappel!" Moments later, all 5 Trident Sikorsky S-70-27 were hovering over the building's roof, waiting to unload its cargo.

Hovering over the roof of the building in the compound, the first COSMOS trooper opened the chopper's cabin door and another threw the rappelling rope out of the chopper. Seeing the Strikers were kept busy by Trident commandos and its agents on the ground, some of the COSMOS soldiers began to raise their weapons while inside the chopper's cabin...

* * *

Outskirts of Warehouse, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

Moving the heated gunfight between the Strikers and Trident's forces, they were battling near the compound's warehouse. Inside the warehouse was various cargo boxes and miscellaneous items being stored for shipments around Hong Kong, with shipments coming in and out of the SAR region, as parts of its legitimate cover under the control of Clovers Heavy Industries and Takasumi Zaibatsu. However, ARCAM intelligence had said that several Trident weapons were being stored in there as well, with no reasons why it was done so.

But it was not important, at least for now. Michael was rallying the other Strikers in a showdown with some of Trident's finest, including Iwao and Sidewinder, in a battle that was part of ARCAM's secret war in protecting the world against those who plan to take advantage of ancient artifacts left behind in the old days.

"Get them!" Jean kept firing his SPAS-12 at Trident commandos, not before Sidewinder came along to fire his steel dart heads at them. Unfortunately for him, Jean dodged his every move.

Patrick, Michelle and Tudor engaged several Trident commandos lead by Iwao and Dary in an area near the building where several Trident commandos were using the steel bodies of the Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks parked nearby as protection.

Michael, with Bushmaster M17S in hand, battled against Hedgehog, armed with a Colt M16A2 assault rifle, near the warehouse's loading area. With Yoshino on his side, the odds of two against one was usually a good favor. But with Hedgehog's removable right hand that concealed his needle gun, the odds were somehow against them.

The Striker and mercenary/treasure hunter were busy firing their assault rifles at them that they didn't notice COSMOS operators trying to take pot shots at them. In an instant, Michael felt something strike at his leg and shoulder.

"Ergh!" Michael collapsed to the ground, but didn't feel anything penetrate him thanks to the bulletproof protection of his Armored Muscle Suit.

"Dammit!" Yoshino, breaking her concentration from fighting with Hedgehog, aimed her GIAT FAMAS F1 at the Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers hovering near the roof.

"It's them!" shouted Michelle, firing her IZHMASH AK-101. Tudor joined up and provided assistance with his Vektor SS-77 GPMG. The three shooters saw some of their bullets made contact with some bodies falling from the choppers with one of them crashing somewhere near the right side of the building, hearing a crashing sound.

"Tudor!" Patrick yelled, keeping his fire up on the Trident agents. "Check on the chopper! We'll hold off Akatsuki and his lovely bunch!"

"Right!"

* * *

Sikorsky S-70-27 Crash Site, Near Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

Running towards the wrecked chopper, Tudor aimed his SS-77 GPMG at the wreck when he saw lightly wounded COSMOS troopers emerged from the S-70-27's cabin, preparing to aim their HK MP5SD6s and Mossberg 500 "Cruiser"s when Tudor unleashed the weapon, firing its rounds at the brainwashed teenagers until they were dead.

After killing all of them, Tudor walked slowly towards the chopper until he noted the S-70-27's pilots were dead, probably killed during the crash landing.

"Hey guys!" yelled Tudor, running back to his Striker comrades. "It's COSMOS! They're here."

* * *

Roof, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

_Teams 1 and 2, take on the West Wing. Teams 3 and 4, move in on the East Wing_

Mentally obeying the telepathic commands of Sho, the COSMOS platoons dropped off the choppers via rappelling went to their respective positions, passing by the dead corpses of their comrades shot by the Strikers and Yoshino and fell to their deaths due to the height that the choppers were flying in, instantly killing them after they landed on the concrete floor.

Taking their positions near the roof doors, two COSMOS soldiers from the two teams planted C4 explosives and placed an electronic timer on the mold. The teams waited for a few minutes before an explosion was heard that disabled the doors, though the noise was not heard thanks to the sounds of explosions and gunfire raging on in other parts of the compound.

After the all clear sign was given out, the COSMOS teams moved in with two soldiers armed with either a Colt M4A1 assault rifle or a Heckler and Koch MP5SD6 submachine gun.

The battle was raging on, and Trident was going to take the battle deep inside their compound to conceal their secrets.

Chapter 10 END

Notes/Terms:

Brugger & Thomet - Swiss gun maker known for the creation of the MP9 SMG currently in use by Swiss police forces.

Czeska Zbroevka - Uhersky Brod (CZ-UB) - Believed to be formerly known as CZ. A Czech-owned firearms company that dated its creation to 1919 as an ex-branch of the Škoda Works Armament firm. Made famous for creating the Czech army's CZ 58 assault rifle, an AK clone, and the Vz 61, the submachine gun that was formerly used widely by terrorists and criminals due to its compact size and magazine capacity.

M89SR - Model 89 Sniper Rifle. Created by TEI of Israel and in use with the Israeli army.

Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales - Special Forces Airmobile Group (GAFES in Spanish), one of Mexico's most elite special forces unit in the Mexican army. Known to be currently operating in the country against drug lords.

Panerai - Italian company famous for its watches. Controversy did erupt in the airport when Canadian Border Service Agency officers confiscated my mom's watches and accused her of not declaring it, which was already in the first place.

I have a Panerai, my mom just hands the stuff to me.

Technical Equipment International (TEI) - Known manufacturer of the M89SR. Formerly done by Sardius as the M36, Technical Consulting International (TCI) bought the license to produce it. Used in the Israeli army by Sayaret Duvdevan. Very useful sniper rifle in urban and non-urban combat; can be fitted with a silencer.

PS - The reason why I gave COSMOS the M4A1 is because they're formerly an American black ops unit, meaning that they should at least have access to it. In the Spriggan manga, they never did have access to the cool rifle. Since that is pointed out, it is strange for me to figure out why Minagawa and Takashige never did it.

It's not to critique them, but am just curious. ;)


	11. Armed Surprise

Striker/Spriggan: Unknown Object

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Cameo appearances of other characters are under the copyright of Capcom. All other characters are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

As the Strikers continue to penetrate the inner works of a Trident compound in Kowloon, the Trident Corporation was forced to send in COSMOS, recently acquired from the US Military and integrated into Trident's mercenary forces as a special forces unit to eliminate the Strikers once and for all. Can Yu, Mark and the others stand up to this additional and dangerous threat? Will they be able to acquire the said prototype Trident suits? Stay tune to this chapter for the conclusion of Unknown Object.

Chapter 11: Armed Surprise

Somewhere on the Main Floor, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Come on, girl!" Michael lead the penetration inside the compound with Yoshino in tow while he left the others to fend off the Trident commandos and the agents outside. "COSMOS' inside! Bro and the others are in trouble!"

"All right already!" Yoshino yelled, getting the message while using her GIAT FAMAS F1 to gun down two COSMOS soldiers, armed with Colt M4A1 assault rifles when they emerged out of an emergency stairway nearby. _They have Asian looks! Don't have time to check though... _She then tossed an M67 grenade on the stairs and quickly closing it before she dragged a nearby couch to block the door.

"Let me help you there." Michael slinged his Bushmaster M17S, assisting Yoshino in carrying the other end of the couch to barricade the stairway. Seconds later, they heard a deafening explosion, indicating that the grenade had exploded, followed by groans from inside. The grenade had apparently made some casualties.

"Nice trick, Yoshino." Michael grinned, using his gloved fingers to play with his ARCAM Private Army beret before fixing his black balaclava. "I had to admit that it was stroke of genius."

"Mom taught me that trick years ago." Yoshino grinned and shrugged. "That oughta slow those guys down."

* * *

Somewhere on the Second Floor, West Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Any luck around here?"

"Nah. Just some empty rooms and offices with some Trident commandos that we shot to death a while ago."

Roland and Miguel were busy sweeping the second floor of the building's second floor, having cleared the first one minutes ago. Hearing the sounds of choppers hovering overhead the building, the two Strikers failed to notice some loud footsteps coming from somewhere in the building. The two Strikers, though, kept their assault rifles at the ready.

"Better get ready, Miguel."

"I know, Roland."

Eyeing the closed doors of the second floors, the two of them moved cautiously on the floor until a loud kick came from one of the doors that had the words FIRE ESCAPE on it. From the smashed doors, several COSMOS soldiers emerged out and fired their weapons at them.

"Holy...!" Roland let loose with his IMBEL M964, firing several 7.62 NATO bullets at the new intruders. Miguel also unleashed his Ruger AC-556 rifle before the duo moved backward in order to find a good escape route.

_Eliminate the intruders at once!_

Mentally obeying their orders, the COSMOS troopers continued to fire their weapons at the two Strikers even though most of their shots were being deflected harmlessly off their bodies thanks to the Armored Muscle Suits.

* * *

Somewhere in the First Floor, East Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Are we nearby, Mark?"

"Yea, Ominae. I checked the map from one of the computers in the empty offices. R&D office should be up ahead after a few minutes."

Yu and Mark, also alerted by the presence of Trident's choppers, stayed on their toes in another part of the building's east wing by checking another empty office, which housed Trident researcher during office hours.

"Nothing here, but a bunch of research notes about the said suits Trident was going to do." Taking the papers, Yu placed it inside one of his vest's inner pockets.

"The prof might need that." Mark let his Howa Type 89-F sweep the entire room. "Heard he's trying to do some countermeasures against those suits."

"Good luck for him." chuckled Yu, wondering what kind of thing will Professor Mayzel will try to do next.

Mark felt something was wrong. _Are they here? _He then alerted Yu to come quickly.

"Yea?" Yu had his Heckler and Koch G3A4 ready.

"I think we're about to get some additional visitors." murmured Mark, looking around for signs of intruders.

The two Strikers heard some footsteps coming from outside the room, making them burst out and unload their weapons at the COSMOS soldiers. One of them, in fact, was able to get close to his targets and drew out his dual M9 knives at the ready.

"Dammit!" Snarling at how close the COSMOS soldier was, Mark dropped his rifle and quickly drew out his Black Dragon Ninja Sword from its sheath strapped at his back. With the said weapon at hand, he guided the blade to the soldier's neck and chopped off the youth's neck. It made a meaty sound at the body collapsed on the ground as the head was disconnected from its neck.

Yu looked at Mark, nearly wanting to vomit. The latter, however, used the ninjato to later stab another COSMOS soldier that tried to use his dual M9s by stabbing him in his neck, fatally killing him before using the bladed weapon to cut a COSMOS soldier by the chest before grabbing the Colt M4A1 of the second soldier that he killed and emptied half the weapons' magazine at the brainwashed soldier before helping Yu get some kills. Mark then resheated his ninjato.

"You really are insane, you know!" yelled Yu, firing his Heckler and Koch G3A4 while fumbling his hand to grab an M67 grenade.

"What can we do about it?" argued Mark, using the Colt M4A1 like a club before he retrieved his Howa Type 89-F. "COSMOS troopers are heavily brainwashed with no chance of regaining sanity. If you ask me, the US Army did a good job in heavily brainwashing these teenagers. You should know that, Ominae. You were like them before."

Yu gritted his teeth; he couldn't deny his horrible past when he formerly was indoctrinated with COSMOS for 11 years before he accidentally regained his sanity in an accident during an operation in South America.

"Come on, we better move out!" Mark did some cover fire for Yu, who tossed out an M67 at the brainwashed teenaged child soldiers. Watching the explosive device rip out at the enemy ranks, he fired some more shots from his rifle before leaving with Mark to search for the room where the prototype Armored Machine Suits are holed up.

* * *

Corridor, West Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"I wonder how Yu and Mark are doing right now?" Miguel dropped a file cabinet on the floor from a nearby office, using it as cover from the incoming bullets before getting prone on the ground.

"Who knows?" Roland used a couch as cover by making its front face the armed COSMOS troopers. Ducking next to it, he fired his IMBEL M964 at the enemy. Miguel joined in to offer support, making most of their opposition drop dead. Even though that automatic gunfire was blocking the enemy from advancing further, some of them were able to slip through by using the death of their comrades as cover.

"Shit! They're coming!" Roland hastily drew out his Vektor Z88 pistol and shot some of the child soldiers in the head before one of them, a Kenyan COSMOS soldier, leaped on him and was on top of him before he drew out his M9.

"Need some backup here!" The Swiss Striker was struggling to fire his Vektor Z88, now under the tight grip of the child soldier.

"Can't!" grunted Miguel, who was also struggling to fire his Glock 21 at another COSMOS soldier, a South Korean, who had him by his neck while he slowly got out his M9. "Must..."

"Hrah!" Regaining the upper hand, Roland twisted himself in such a way that he used the Kenyan's body as a shield, firing his Vektor Z88 at the charging COSMOS troopers while they shot the Kenyan COSMOS soldier to death as his body was being peppered by 9mm, buckshot and 5.56 NATO bullets before Roland fired back to empty his pistol's magazine at the opposition.

Miguel, likewise, did the same thing and disarmed the South Korean COSMOS soldier before using his body to protect himself from being shot. Instead, his shield was receiving the shots for him before Miguel kicked him away from his back and reached out to use an M67 grenade after he emptied his Glock 21's magazine.

"Go!" Roland fired his IMBEL M964, with Miguel tossing the M67 before he resumed firing his Ruger AC-556 at the incoming COSMOS forces.

The M67 then exploded, killing a huge score of COSMOS troopers, with others being injured. Miguel motioned to Roland to make a run for it, the latter agreeing to his idea.

As the two ran towards safe ground, surviving COSMOS soldiers marched on to search for the enemy while leaving their wounded comrades to suffer from their injuries.

* * *

Recreation Room, East Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"We should be safe in here." said Yu, searching the recreation room to find no signs of hostile enemies.

"For now." Mark opened the refrigerator to see some regular Coke cans inside. "I'm taking this."

"Fine." grumbled Yu, sitting on top of the unused billiard table while Mark opened the can and wolfed down its contents until they heard some murmuring.

"Get some people to check this recreation room. We've got some reports that the accursed Spriggans were last seen here."

Mark, noticing the noise from outside, finished drinking the can and tossed it to the nearby trashcan before he positioned with Yu on both sides of the main door. The two drew out their bladed weapons, slinging their rifles since they did not want to be detected. In addition, Yu killed the lights near the door.

The door opened and 4 COSMOS troopers came in, the brainwashed teenagers searching their perimeter before one of them closed the door to prevent a surprise attack before he went for the light switch.

With swift motion, Yu used his Omihalcon combat knife to slice the neck of the first COSMOS soldier, a Russian, by the neck and made him drop his Mossberg 590 Compact shotgun before tossing the bladed weapon to the heart of the second COSMOS soldier, a Zimbabwean. The latter instantly dropped dead on the ground with his Heckler and Koch MP5SD6 on his right hand.

Mark, on the other hand, had an easier job with his Black Dragon ninjato and Fairbarn Sykes Commando Pattern 1 knife at hand. He used his knife as a throwing weapon to stab the neck of the third COSMOS soldier, a Canadian, before applying force on the blade of his Black Dragon ninjato on the fourth COSMOS soldier and drove it on his chest, impaling him and the wall behind him. Mark huffed and watched the Chinese trooper squirm while trying to get the blade off him before he died of blood loss without realizing that if he struggled more, his blade wound would become worse.

"Man!" Yu shook his head, looking at Mark. "You really are gruesome!"

"Wish I could say the same thing for these COSMOS creeps!" Mark forcefully took the blade from the wall, making the corpse impaled on it collapse. It dropped on its knees before falling face first on the floor.

"Damn brats!" Sheating his sword and knife, Mark grabbed his Howa Type 89-F. "Come on. They could be blocking the area near the research office."

Yu sighed. "Right." He grabbed his combat knife from the dead trooper's chest and kept it at the knife's strap on his back.

Peeking out of the door, Yu and Mark checked for any signs of COSMOS soldiers. When they knew that the coast was clear, the two sprinted down on the hallway towards the location of the research office, leaving the bodies of the dead COSMOS soldiers killed by their bladed weapons.

* * *

Research & Development Office, East Wing, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

"We've hit the jackpot!" exclaimed Yu, noting a cordoned area in the research office where the prototype Armored Machine Suits are placed.

"Shit! Three of them are ready and the others are being prepared." Mark commented, noting some Armored Machine Suits with a strange machine that churned out the 3rd prototype suit. _Though they placed them in a makeshift hangar. Trident sure does have lax security around here. Thought these places were suppose to be hard to hit._

"Guess we better destroy them!" grinned Yu, cracking his knuckles before hearing loud footsteps from behind.

"Dammit!" Mark got his Howa Type 89-F ready. "Not now!"

"Hey guys! Miss us?"

To Yu and Mark's surprise, Michael and Yoshino were outside the room with Roland and Miguel behind them.

"How'd you guys get here?" asked Mark, a bit confused.

"We ran into them by accident when we saw COSMOS troopers rappelling down from their choppers." answered Yoshino, pointing to Roland and Miguel with her right thumb.

Suddenly, loud gunshots were heard from the wide hallway behind them.

"Cover us!" yelled Mark, running over to a closed computer before finding a blank zip drive and inserted it into the Iomega Zip drive. Yu rushed to grab the three prototype Armored Machine Suits and stuffed them in a duffel bag while Roland and the others were keeping COSMOS reinforcements busy.

"Yu!" shouted Mark. "Hand me the bag."

"Okay." Handing Mark the duffel bag, Yu rushed out to assist his comrades in stalling COSMOS soldiers from reaching the R&D office. Miguel, on the other hand, went inside the office and began to plant a series of plastic explosives all over the room.

"How much longer?" shouted Yoshino, reloading her GIAT FAMAS F1. Yu, Michael began to reload their Heckler and Koch G3A4 and Bushmaster M17S rifles while Roland and Miguel used suppressive fire with their IMBEL M964 and Ruger AC-556 rifles.

"A few more minutes!" yelled Mark. "Data's almost in the zip drive."

After a few more minutes, Mark ejected the zip disk and placed it in the inner pocket of his Marom Dolphin IDF Reconnaissance Vest and slipped on the duffel bag.

"All right! Let's hit it!"

Moving out towards their extraction point, Yu and Michael covered Mark's escape while Yoshino, Roland and Miguel ran along with Mark to clear a path for them from the R&D office.

* * *

Roof, Building, Trident Compound, Number 12 Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

Barging into the rooftop, the Strikers plus Yoshino secured the area before they saw Jean and the others already in the roof.

"Jean!" Yu shouted, a bit startled. "What happened to Akatsuki and the others?"

"They were called to retreat." answered Tudor. "They suddenly retreated towards some choppers. Guess Trident knew they were already loosing."

"And the others?" asked Michael.

"Don't worry, lad." assured Gerald. "They already evacuated a while ago. In fact, they were kinda stubborn when they initially refused to do so."

"Never mind that." said Mark, putting their attention back towards him. "Trident has let loose their COSMOS dogs! They'll be in the roofs any second from now."

"Here they come!" Gerald pointed to the sound of choppers coming in. When they were in view, they turned out to be ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27 choppers preparing to land.

_They're coming any second. _Mark stared at the rooftop door leading into the East Wing.

When the first of the two ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27 landed, Jean opened its door and was the first to hop inside. Yoshino was ready to step in when a platoon of COSMOS soldiers emerged out of the rooftop door.

"Shit! More of them!" snarled Yu, emptying the remaining bullets from his Heckler and Koch G3A4. Michael joined in with Yu and fired his Bushmaster M17S. Meanwhile, Mark had told Tudor, Michelle and Patrick to evacuate immediately. Miguel and Roland covered their escape by providing suppressive fire on the COSMOS forces. Wesley also stayed behind and used his ADI F88 rifle to assist the first two.

"Gimme that!" gritted Mark under his mask, grabbing a Saab Bofors AT4 CS from the cabin of the second S-70-27. Motioning everyone to get out of the way while making the weapon ready, he targeted the rooftop's door.

"Fire!" Making sure that his kneeling position would not affect anyone by the backblast, he fired the AT4 CS' HEDP (High Explosive Dual Purpose) rocket at the structure, destroying the rooftop door and roof. It collapsed on the East Wing Fire Escape stairs, sealing off some COSMOS soldiers who are still trapped in the area.

"That took care of them!" Wesley said, reloading his ADI F88, killing some COSMOS soldiers with Yu, Miguel and Roland. "But whose gonna take care of the other side?"

"Got that!" Running to second chopper, Michael took another AT4 CS and targeted the West Wing's rooftop stairway structure, demolishing the rooftop door and roof. Like what Mark's actions did, Michael's had effectively sealed off the West Wing Fire Escape stairs, sealing off another group of COSMOS soldiers.

* * *

Cabin, ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27

"That takes care of the lot." grinned Yu, boarding the remaining choppers with Mark and the other Strikers after killing off the corned COSMOS soldiers. "But what of the explosives that I saw Miguel plant back inside the R&D office?"

(Play Daybreak aka Ending-Staff Roll - This is from Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3, played after most players defeat or loose to M. Bison. Catchy tune!)

"No problem." chuckled the Filipino Striker, producing a remote from his Achidatex & Export-Erez A-10 vest and pressed its red button. Seconds later, another loud explosion was heard when Yu, Mark, Miguel and Roland saw a ball of fire erupt from the Trident compound. Mark assumed that Wesley, Gerlald and Michael were on the other chopper.

"Mission accomplished, folks!" Mark gave high fives to Yu, Miguel and Roland, their task finally done.

"So what happens to the suits?" Yu stared at the duffel bag that Mark took with him to the chopper.

"Prof's gonna analyze them, see what we can do about them." Mark patted it before unslinging it and handing it to Miguel, who placed it on an empty chair inside the cabin.

"So what are you guys going to do later on?" asked Roland. All of the Strikers, stretching and relaxing in the cabin's seats, were wondering about it until Mark offered an answer.

"As for me," Mark took off his GAFES beret and black balaclava after he placed his Howa Type-89 F rifle on safety mode. "maybe I'll go and check Friendster. See what's new."

"You have Friendster?" chuckled Yu, unloading his Heckler and Koch G3A4 and placing it on safety mode. "Hey, do your pal a favor and add me on your list, will ya?"

"Same here." Roland checked his IMBEL M964 rifle to make sure that it was on safe.

"Me too, pal." Miguel rested his Ruger AC-556 rifle on the cabin floor after activating the weapon's safety mode.

"Yeah." Mark nodded, leaning his head on the metallic plate of the cabin since he sat on one of the chopper's rear seats. _Looks like another job's done and the world's safe again for now._

"Can't wait to hear what the old man has got to say about the suits." Yu cracked his knuckles, relieved that their mission was complete.

"Hope we can get anything useful from the data and suits that we procured from site." murmured Miguel, deciding to take a nap since their journey back to ARCAM Hong Kong would take 1-2 hours to do so.

Roland and Yu were the only ones who swapped stories from their Striker duties to life in school while Miguel and Mark dozed off, sleepy from their mission.

In the darkness of the Hong Kong sky, the two ARCAM Sikorsky S-70-27 flew towards the night lights of Kowloon, away from the smoke billowing from the Trident compound.

(End Daybreak aka Ending-Staff Roll)

* * *

Research & Development Office, ARCAM Hong Kong, One Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR, China

"Thanks for bringing in the prototype Trident Armored Machine Suits." thanked Professor Mayzel.

"So how'd the talk went?" asked Mark, sitting in a chair near him. He was decked in civilian clothes, without his Armored Muscle Suit.

"Quite interesting." Mayzel fixed his glasses. "The students were nice and very open during my presentation. Nice to be away from ARCAM work for a while."

"Getting back to the suits old man," Mark grinned. "what'd you find out?"

"Lots of things." Mayzel dumped a folder on the Striker's hands. "A report that I haven't submitted to the board of directors. This is a duplicate."

"What does this contain?" Mark leafed the folder, doing speed reading on the data inside.

"The suit is similar to the Armored Muscle Suit." explained Mayzel, going through the details. "Except that it doesn't bulk that much when it's activated. Perfect for undercover operations."

_Nice. _Mark nodded while listening to Mayzel's explanation.

"In addition, I did some tests on it and I found out that the suit can also do a..." Mayzel scratched his hair. "What did Yu call it when he channeled some energy into the Armored Muscle Suit?"

Mark answered, "You mean the psychic blow?"

"Thank you." The professor snapped his fingers. "Well, the prototype Machine Suit has amplified it to an extent that it's more powerful than our suits. Also, it has increased power and agility. Probably augmented in order to be on par with us."

"That seems to be it." Mark closed the folder given to him. "Oh and I have a request."

"Name it." said the professor, interested to hear what he has to say.

"Can you forward a request to the head honchos to let me snag one of them suits?"

Mayzel sighed; he had a feeling that Mark would ask him about it.

"Fine." huffed Mayzel. "I'll do it, but the other suits will be saved for further analysis before we destroy them."

Mark chuckled, nodding his head. "Fine with me, prof. That's fine with me."

THE END

Notes/Terms:

Friendster - Website known for its social uses, such as linking with old friends and making new ones. Note that I do have Friendster since back in my high school days a few years ago. Wanna link up with me? Let me know in advance.

Glock 21 - A .45 caliber pistol with a 13-round magazine capacity.

High Explosive Dual Purpose - Known as HEDP. Warhead used in AT4 for bunkers and buildings. Can be used to detonate warhead on impact or after delayed detonation.

Vektor Z88 - A South African-made copy of the Beretta 92F. Has same features and magazine capacity too.

PS - That's that. I should be doing an RE story regarding Jack Krauser and his encounter with the Spriggans when he served with COSMOS and another Spriggan story detailing the last moments of Henry Graham should be up soon, followed by a YUA story.

Right now, I'm concentrating efforts in finished my GSEED story. I'll then take a few days off to relax from fanfic writing before I decide if I should add some one shot stories or what. That'd be all for now, mates.


End file.
